Credibility, Reliability, and/or Validity, and Explain Why.

¶ … credibility, reliability, and/Or validity, and explain why. Be specific, and provide examples.

Credibility, Reliability and Validity in Fiebert (2004)

The source provided by Fiebert (2004), published in Sexuality & Culture, 8(3-4) and entitled "References Examining Assaults By Women on Their Spouses Or Male Partners: An Annotated Bibliography" offers a concise overview of a broad sampling of literature on the subject of female-on-male spousal assault. At its outset, the study indicates a sampling of 155 scholarly investigations, 126 empirical studies and 29 reviews and from this selection of literature which is outlined in brief qualitative passages concludes "that women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their spouses or male partners." (Fiebert, p. 140)

Credibility:

It is not established with any certainty that the researcher delivering the report is in a position of authority on the subject. In fact, in the context of the report itself, no qualifications are given other than the researcher's association with the Department of Psychology at California State University, Long Beach. This provides us with little assurance of the researcher's background or experience in this field and also, without external research, prevents us from determining any biases which may exist in the researcher. One note of credibility in favor of the article is its inclusion in the scholarly journal Sexuality & Culture, which denotes that the article did pass the scrutiny of a peer review process.

Reliability:

The annotated bibliography employed to carry out Fiebert's study is a qualitative methodology. Golafshani (2003) reports that qualitative research almost inherently defies measurement where reliability is concerned. This is because the descriptive, rhetorical and, most importantly, unempirical ways of delivering qualitative data almost necessarily require identification as unreliable. However, Golafshani offers a compromise, recommending that "to be more specific with the term of reliability in qualitative research, Lincoln and Guba (1985, p. 300) use 'dependability', in qualitative research which closely corresponds to the notion of 'reliability' in quantitative research. They further emphasize 'inquiry audit' (p. 317) as one measure which might enhance the dependability of qualitative research. This can be used to examine both the process and the product of the research for consistency" (Golafshani, p. 601)

Under these terms, while it is not entirely possible to ascertain the empirical reliability of the findings reported second-hand by Fiebert, some dependability may be claimed based on the exhaustive array of sources considered and presented. These imply due diligence in the consideration of literature, with sheer quantity ensuring that research objectivity has been achieved. Additionally, some measure of reliability is also afforded to the researcher by the peer review process endorsing the various scholarly journal articles included within.

Validity: