Abstract
The emphasis of validity as a publication content was investigated in dissertations and journal articles. The time of first publication, longitudinal publication profile, ratio of articles to dissertations, and time lag between dissertations and articles emphasizing validity were compared within and among various fields. A three-decade gap separated the first field adopting validity-related contents in its dissertations from the latest fields that did so. The longitudinal data suggested three groups of fields (Agricultural Sciences, Applied Sciences and Social Sciences) which showed consistent differences among groups and consistent similarities within groups in their emphasis on validity-related content. Adoption of validity-related content in dissertations always preceded adoption of validity-related content in journal articles. On average, less than 4% of journal articles included validity-related content across fields. These findings support the hypothesis that validity has been introduced and disseminated within fields following patterns predicted by diffusion of innovations theory. It is argued that this pattern is inconsistent with an efficient and interdisciplinary utilization of available knowledge. Policy recommendations are made for developing strategic communication and education programs for academicians and journal reviewers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
T. D. Cook, D. T. Campbell, Quasi-Experimentation: Design & Analysis Issues for Field Settings, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston (1979).
R. Gravely-Tyrell, Who cares about reliability and validity? An analysis of reliability and validity as reported on self-report instruments used in counseling, educational research, and evaluation. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54-08A, 2997.
F. Orme-Scot, Methodological considerations in neuropsychology research: An empirical review of pediatric traumatic brain injury outcome studies, Dissertation Abstracts International, 58-09B,5185.
A. L. Rivas, J. D. Deshler, F. W. Quimby, H. O. Mohammed, D. J. Wilson, R. N. Gonzalez, D. H. Lein, P. Bruso, Interdisciplinary question generation: synthesis and validity analysis of the 1993–1997 bovine mastitis-related literature, Scientometrics, 42 (1998) 377-403.
W. R. Shadish, L. M. Montgomery, P. Wilson, M. R. Wilson, I. Bright, T. Okwumabu, Effect of family and marital psychotherapies: A meta-analysis, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(1993)992-1002.
E. M. Rogers, Diffusion of innovations, Fourth Edition, The Free Press, New York (1995).
A. L. Rivas, J. D. Deshler, R. D. Colle, R. N. Gonzalez, F. W. Quimby, Indicators of disciplinary differentiation: interdisciplinary linkages and adoption rate of biological innovations, Scientometrics, 37 (1996) 63-86.
T. D. Cook, H. Cooper, D. S. Cordray, H. Hartmann, L. V. Hedges, R. J. Light, T. A. Louis, F. Mosteller, Meta-Analysis for Explanation: A Casebook, Russell Sage Foundation, New York (1992).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nanda, S.K., Rivas, A.L., Trochim, W.M. et al. Emphasis on Validation in Research: A Meta-Analysis. Scientometrics 48, 45–64 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005628301541
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005628301541