Reliability (research methods)

Reliability is a measure of how consistent research results are. For example, if you do the same research two or three times and get two or three different results each time, the research is not reliable. To make research reliable, it has to be done in the same way each time. This means that the same people must do the research in the same way, that the same materials and equipment must be used, and that the same methods must be followed. When research is reliable, it means that the results are dependable and can be trusted.