Reliability and Validity Assessment

by Edward G. Carmines, Richard A. Zeller

This guide explains how social scientists can evaluate the reliability and validity of empirical measurements, discussing the three basic types of validity: criterion related, content, and construct. In addition, the paper shows how reliability is assessed by the retest method, alternative-forms procedure, split-halves approach, and internal consistency method.

Genres: Nonfiction, Read For School, Research, Political Science, Research Methods

72 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1979

About the author

Edward G. ("Ted") Carmines was an American political scientist, who served as Distinguished Professor, Warner O. Chapman Professor of Political Science, and Rudy Professor at Indiana University. At IU, he directed the Center on American Politics and served as Director of Research for the Center on Representative Government until his retirement in 2025.

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reliability and validity are central issues in social science research. How do we get consistency in findings? How do we know that we are measuring what we expect to measure? How can we be sure that we can generalize findings? This is one of those short SAGE volumes that provide an accessible introduction to key research matters such as this.