Two characteristics that can help you assess research findings are internal and external validity.
These two concepts help researchers gauge if the results of aresearch studyare trustworthy and meaningful.
Internal validity is important because once established, it makes it possible to eliminate alternative explanations for a finding.
Verywell / Bailey Mariner
Internal validity is not a “yes or no” concept.
What Is External Validity in Research?
Population validity and ecological validity are two types of external validity.
Population validity refers to whether you might generalize the research outcomes to other populations or groups.
Ecological validity refers to whether a study’s findings can be generalized to additional situations or parameters.
Another term called transferability refers to whether results transfer to situations with similar characteristics.
Transferability relates to external validity and refers toa qualitative researchdesign.
Internal Validity vs.
This is because both have implications in terms of whether the results of a study have meaning.
Both internal validity and external validity are not “either/or” concepts.
Each of these concepts is also typically reported in research articles published inscholarly journals.
But there are further differences between the two as well.
For instance, internal validity focuses on showing a difference that is due to the independent variable alone.
Conversely, external validity results can be translated to the world at large.
Internal validity and external validity aren’t mutually exclusive.
Examples of Validity
Perhaps the best way to understand internal validity and external validity is with examples.
The researcher ensures that there is no systematic bias in how participants are assigned to the groups.
A strict study protocol is also used to outline the procedures of the study.
This shows that results appear in a real-world setting.
To further ensure external validity, the researcher clearly defines the population of interest and chooses arepresentative sample.
They might also replicate the study’s results using different technological devices.
Only when both internal validity and external validity are high can strong conclusions be made about your results.
Andrade C.Internal, external, and ecological validity in research design, conduct, and evaluation.Indian J Psychol Med.
2018;40(5):498-499. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_334_18
San Jose State University.Internal and external validity.
In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
2009;99(9):1567-1575. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.134767
Kemper CJ.External validity.
In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
2021;10:e62101.
doi:10.7554/eLife.62101
Michael RS.Threats to internal & external validity: Y520 strategies for educational inquiry.
2019;19(1):127. doi:10.1186/s12890-019-0882-y
