The document discusses the importance of maintaining integrity in research data collection through quality assurance and quality control methods to prevent errors, monitor data collection processes, and ensure accurate findings that can be replicated. Issues like poorly designed manuals and communication structures can compromise data integrity and validity. Ensuring standardized protocols, training, calibration of tools, and mechanisms for reporting changes are important for quality assurance, while ongoing monitoring and documentation of any detected errors are key aspects of quality control.
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Data Collection and Data Integrity
The document discusses the importance of maintaining integrity in research data collection through quality assurance and quality control methods to prevent errors, monitor data collection processes, and ensure accurate findings that can be replicated. Issues like poorly designed manuals and communication structures can compromise data integrity and validity. Ensuring standardized protocols, training, calibration of tools, and mechanisms for reporting changes are important for quality assurance, while ongoing monitoring and documentation of any detected errors are key aspects of quality control.
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Research Data
Integrity
Michelle Ann M. Martinez
Subject Teacher 1. Determine the different tools in data Learning collection. 2. Explain quality assurance and quality control. Objectives: 3. Appreciate the importance of data integrity in research. The importance of ensuring accurate and appropriate data collection Regardless of the field of study or preference for defining data (quantitative, qualitative), accurate data collection is essential to maintaining the integrity of research Consequences from improperly collected data include:
1. Inability to answer research questions
accurately 2. Inability to repeat and validate the study 3. Distorted findings resulting in wasted resources 4. Misleading other researchers to pursue fruitless avenues of investigation 5. Compromising decisions for public policy 6. Causing harm to human participants and animal subjects Issues related to maintaining integrity of data collection:
The primary rationale for preserving
data integrity is to support the detection of errors in the data collection process, whether they are made intentionally (deliberate falsifications) or not (systematic or random errors). Most, Craddick, Crawford, Redican, Rhodes, Rukenbrod, and Laws (2003) describe ‘quality assurance’ and ‘quality control’ as two approaches that can preserve data integrity and ensure the scientific validity of study results. Each approach is implemented at different points in the research timeline (Whitney, Lind, Wahl, 1998): Quality assurance - activities that take place before data collection begins
Quality control - activities that
take place during and after data collection Quality Assurance • Quality assurance precedes data collection, its main focus is 'prevention' (i.e., forestalling problems with data collection). • Prevention is the most cost-effective activity to ensure the integrity of data collection. This proactive measure is best demonstrated by the standardization of protocol developed in a comprehensive and detailed procedures manual for data collection. • Poorly written manuals increase the risk of failing to identify problems and errors early in the research endeavor. These failures may be demonstrated in a number of ways: 1. Uncertainty about the timing, methods, and identify of person(s) responsible for reviewing data 2. Partial listing of items to be collected 3. Vague description of data collection instruments to be used in lieu of rigorous step-by-step instructions on administering tests 4. Failure to identify specific content and strategies for training or retraining staff members responsible for data collection 5. Obscure instructions for using, making adjustments to, and calibrating data collection equipment (if appropriate) 6. No identified mechanism to document changes in procedures that may evolve over the course of the investigation. Quality Control • Quality control activities (detection/monitoring and action) occur during and after data collection, the details should be carefully documented in the procedures manual. • A clearly defined communication structure is a necessary precondition for establishing monitoring systems. • There should not be any uncertainty about the flow of information between principal investigators and staff members following the detection of errors in data collection. • A poorly developed communication structure encourages lax monitoring and limits opportunities for detecting errors. Let’s review the process in data collection: Evaluation: