Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Informed Consent

Informed consent is a universal requirement of all scientific research regardless of whether it is a quantitative or qualitative investigation when human subjects are the source of data. Obtaining the consent of human subjects in human services research is required.


•    List the elements the author used to demonstrate that subjects or participants were assured of their informed consent.
•    What process and procedures did the researcher incorporate into assuring informed consent?
•    Are there any unique elements that the researcher used for the protection of vulnerable or at-risk individuals?
•    What are the strengths and weaknesses of the processes or procedures chosen by this researcher?
•    What role do you think the Institutional Review Board played in this dissertation?
In conclusion, what are the take-home lessons from this dissertation, and how would you apply them to your own approach in your dissertation?
(I attached a copy of my Dissertation to this assignment) 


Unit Reading: Validity and Reliability
INTRODUCTION

In quantitative research, we refer to the concepts of validity and reliability to tell us how well the study measured what it was supposed to measure and how much we trust the accuracy of the results. We address these same basic issues in qualitative research, but they are referred to as credibility and dependability, respectively.

Validity as a Unifying Concept
The process of reviewing literature and interpreting research in light of other published research studies revolves around the concept of validity in research design. What is validity? There is not a unified consensus regarding the definition of validity in research design (Pedhazur & Schmelkin, 1991). However, at its core, validity in quantitative research involves confirmed truth, or how accurately an instrument or study manifests what it is purported to examine (Edmonds and Kennedy, 2017).

Reliability in Qualitative Research
Just as credibility and transferability roughly correlate to the concepts of internal and external validity in quantitative research, reliability has its counterparts in qualitative research as well. We refer to these issues as confirmability and dependability. Reliability, with its emphasis on replication, does not apply well to qualitative human services research studies since each is unique—something that is intrinsic in the process. 

In this unit, you will evaluate the credibility and dependability within a selected qualitative research article from your Review of the literature. And likewise, you will analyze and evaluate the properties of reliability and validity within a quantitative investigation you have identified in your Review of Literature within your topic of interest. You will be asked to continue to develop your literature review.

References
Edmonds, W. A., & Kennedy, T. D. (2017). An applied guide to research designs quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Pedhazur, E. J., & Schmelkin, L. P. (1991). Measurement, design, and analysis: An integrated approach. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.