Ruiz (2002), the mixed questionnaires are not calculated reliability, since, these questionnaires by definition are heterogeneous in the structure of the questions. The insights garnered here will move novice researchers and doctoral students to a better conceptual grasp of the complexity of reliability and validity and its ramifications for qualitative inquiry. The research is based on the theories of Kotler and Keller (2012), Schmitt (2006), among others. Recommendations are made for use of the term rigor instead of trustworthiness and the reconceptualization and renewed use of the concept of reliability and validity in qualitative research, that strategies for ensuring rigor must be built into the qualitative research process rather than evaluated only after the inquiry, and that qualitative researchers and students alike must be proactive and take responsibility in ensuring the rigor of a research study. A synthesis of the historical development of validity criteria evident in the literature during the years is explored. There are four main types of reliability. If not, the method of measurement may be unreliable or bias may have crept into your research. There are several types of indices of reliability. When you apply the same method to the same sample under the same conditions, you should get the same results. Reliability refers to the degree of consistency in measurement and to the lack of error. Elaborating on epistemological and theoretical conceptualizations by Lincoln and Guba, strategies congruent with qualitative perspective for ensuring validity to establish the credibility of the study are described. Reliability tells you how consistently a method measures something. This article presents the concept of rigor in qualitative research using a phenomenological study as an exemplar to further illustrate the process. There is also a continuing debate about the analogous terms reliability and validity in naturalistic inquiries as opposed to quantitative investigations.

Issues are still raised even now in the 21st century by the persistent concern with achieving rigor in qualitative research.

Definition of reliability in research