Research Credibility

Keywords: Validity, Quality of research, Research quality, Qualitative research, Quantitative research

Research credibility entails the quality and validity of a research work; how it is being carried out, the point of view of the researcher, the environment, and the methods and approaches adopted. This also hinges on the reliable judgement of the researcher, how the data have been gathered, analysed and results presented (Patton, 1999). Credibility in this sense raises some questions:
• What methods are used to collect data; survey, questionnaire, interview, or focus groups?
• Does the research questions relevant to the topic being researched?
• Were the hypotheses used testable?
• What research approach was used, fixed or flexible?
• Are the results of the qualitative and quantitative research checked and validated?
These questions serve as criteria for the credibility of a research.

Also, the philosophy and the environment of the researcher play a great part when checking the validity and quality of a research. Philosophy is generally the study of beliefs. Every scholar or contributor in all fields has got a belief system - personal judgement. So, while carrying out a research project or analysing results, the researcher does make assumptions based on how the world is viewed (William, 2006).

It should also be noted that research credibility is based on quality, inferences and conclusions.

References
Patton, M. (1999, December). Enhancing the Quality and Credibility of Qualitative Analysis. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from:http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4149/is_5_34/ai_58451871/
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/philosophy.php
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/introval.php

Ethical Issues

The author of the study project being critiqued carried out the research adopting interview and a questionnaire survey. One of the human subjects interviewed was Mr Zou of T&C Laolongkou Brewey Limited. Ethical issues like privacy, consent, behaviour of researcher, confidentiality, anonymity, participant’s reaction and rights to withdraw were clearly stated in the project. However, the author focussed mainly on privacy, which connotes to some extent, the less importance of other ethical issues stated.

Also, the ethical issue of anonymity was explicitly pointed out by the author, but was not properly followed, in that the name of the managing director was disclosed and no consent was mentioned in the result findings. More so, the name of interviewee mentioned in 4.1 differs from that in the interview notes in appendix 3, which questions the reliability of the result.

Literature Review

Below is the literature review, keywords and references of the study project I will be critiquing:

Topic: Business Information Systems in China (BUS6)

Broad Issue: The aim of this project is to investigate the characteristics and future of business information systems and technology in the manufacturing business sector in China, how the use of IT can improve business processes.


These are the some keywords to be used:
- Business information systems
- Information systems characteristics
- Information systems vs. information technologies
- Economic impact of IS
- Information Systems methodologies
- IS/IT tools
- Chinese manufacturing business sector
- IS and business processes
- Software development
- Business software applications
- E-Commerce
- Business ethics and information systems

References from journals and books:

Beynon, D. (2009). Applying Information Systems to Business. Retrieved October 26, 2010, from http://www.palgrave.com/business/beynon-daviesbis/docs/chapter7.pdf

Essentials of Business Information Systems [Electronic]: http://sutlib2.sut.ac.th/sut_contents/H107070.pdf

Xin, C., & Shi, C. (2007). Correlative Relationship of Learning-Oriented Organizational Innovation and Technological Innovation in Chinese High-tech Manufacturing Firms. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4344411

Xinhua, B., Xiaoyun, Q., & Baojun, Y. (2008, December). Macroscopic Growth Process and Stage Analysis of Information Systems of Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4737501

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