Emphasis on Validation in Research: A Meta-Analysis

The emphasis of validity as a publication content was investigated in dissertations and journal articles. The time of first publication, longitudinal publication profile, ratio of articles to dissertations, and time lag between dissertations and articles emphasizing validity were compared within and among various fields. A three-decade gap separated the first field adopting validity-related contents in its dissertations from the latest fields that did so. The longitudinal data suggested three groups of fields (Agricultural Sciences, Applied Sciences and Social Sciences) which showed consistent differences among groups and consistent similarities within groups in their emphasis on validity-related content. Adoption of validity-related content in dissertations always preceded adoption of validity-related content in journal articles. On average, less than 4% of journal articles included validity-related content across fields. These findings support the hypothesis that validity has been introduced and disseminated within fields following patterns predicted by diffusion of innovations theory. It is argued that this pattern is inconsistent with an efficient and interdisciplinary utilization of available knowledge. Policy recommendations are made for developing strategic communication and education programs for academicians and journal reviewers.