Descriptive Validity

Descriptive Validity is a research term that refers to the accuracy and objectivity of the information gathered. If researchers collected statements from participants, did they record or transcribe the statements accurately? Did they leave out information they didn’t understand or didn’t feel was relevant?

For example, a researcher who interviews teenagers for a study might leave out the teenagers’ slang when reporting or analyzing their responses because she didn’t catch the unfamiliar words or didn’t think it was necessary to include, when actually the language may be very important and useful for the study. If observations are not accurate and objective, the study has low descriptive validity.