Face Validity

Face validity is a test of internal validity. As the name implies, it asks a very simple question: “On the face of things, do the investigators reach the correct conclusions?” It requires investigators to step outside of their current research context and assess their observations from a commonsense perspective. A typical application of face validity occurs when researchers obtain assessments from current or future individuals who will be directly affected by programs premised on their research findings. An example of testing for face validity is the assessment of a proposed new patient tracking system by obtaining observations from local community health care providers who will be responsible for implementing the program and getting feedback on how they think the new program may work in their ...