How Researchers Gain Your Trust

The two different types of research are, of course, quantitative (Ninja) and qualitative (Pirate). As a researcher, there are certain things to keep in mind to insure that their research gains trust and is credible. Since quantitative is very calculated and numerically based research, Ninja's have to gain your trust differently than the flexible, person based, qualitative Pirates. The following chart shows some of those differences and how these two show their credibility.

QUANTITATIVE	QUALITATIVE
Internal Validity: Ninjas form a hypothesis about a relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable and then figure out a way to test the relationship. The testing of the relationship is to see if the independent variable affects the dependent, and the results that the researchers attain tells about the internal validity. It is also helpful to gain trust by discussing the test and the materials used and how the tests were performed so the readers can tell if the tests were even relevant to what the hypothesis was suggesting.	Credibility: There are multiple techniques for Pirates (naturalists) to consider when trying to make their research credible. -Include activities such as prolonged engagement and persistent observation that add to their data and the credibility. Triangulation (using different methods, theories, etc.) is another way to incorporate more activities that can show credibility with your data. -Have fellow researchers or other peers that are not involved in the study at hand in order to get their view of the research. Feedback from these peers helps the researcher work on further credibility. -A technique also used is called “negative case analysis” where the researcher continuously adjusts the hypothesis based on new data. -Pirates should also find previous data to refer to and compare their own information gained. This is called referential adequacy. -Member checking is when the researcher gives the information they gleaned back to the participants to get their confirmation.
External Validity: Ninjas have a goal of generalizing the information from their research to the general public, and in order for this to occur their have to be random samples used and all demographic data must be recorded for participants.	Transferability: Pirates cannot generalize to the public the way ninjas can, however they can provide detailed information pertaining to the context of the study  and form hypotheses based on their research for the general public.
Reliability: This is when a ninja repeats a test over and over again, and if the results are the same or similar then it helps validate the information gained. The more a study is replicated and the results come out the same, the more reliable it is.	Dependability: You cannot always repeat the study techniques used by Pirates, therefore they try to establish dependability to ensure credibility (instead of reliability to validity.) Some techniques such as “overlap methods” and “stepwise replication” can be used in this area. Also, the research can get someone to audit the study.
Objectivity: This is just validity found through having multiple researchers agreeing separately on a phenomenon.	Confirmability: This is found by having an audit completed on the study that confirms the trustworthiness of the study. This is a fairly lengthy process used instead of objectivity.