Tasks and techniques.
Our experiments often include tasks or techniques that are a key part of the data collection process. Ensuring that observers can conduct these procedures reliably is important for data quality.
Evaluating consistency in tasks and techniques:
Example:
A common task in our research is taking photographs. We then use the photographs to measure key research outcomes, like wound severity and healing progression. Ensuring that the team involved in taking photographs is consistent is crucial to ensure that we have quality data. Below is the reliability test subset we have used for disbudding wound photography, where trainees are taught a few key criteria all photos must have, given a few examples, and then they are asked to rate sample photos according to the criteria. Once they have scored the 11 test photos themselves, the expert reviews their answers and discusses any disagreements with them. After the expert deems their responses acceptable, they can begin taking photographs for the experiment unsupervised.
Note that this document references an Excel file for trainees to complete, which you can find here.
If you are a researcher interested in using this as a resource in your own training, please contact Dr. Sarah Adcock to obtain an answer key for these photos.
If you are a researcher interested in using this as a resource in your own training, please contact Dr. Sarah Adcock to obtain an answer key for these photos.
