ABSTRACT
The data collecting part of a project is where many researchers feel the 'real' research occurs. Data collection is not just a process of collection; it is also a process of creation of using information in unique ways related to the purposes of the study. There is a wide variety of data collecting methods available to researchers in the social sciences. The person undertaking the research needs to be sure that the data collecting instrument is both valid and reliable. If the research technique is valid it is 'sound, cogent, well grounded, justifiable, or logically correct'. Generally speaking it is usually much easier to measure reliability than validity. One approach to check validity is the 'test-retest' method. This involves using an instrument with a group on two separate occasions and analysing how closely the two sets of results conform to each other. Two of the most commonly used data collecting techniques are questionnaires and interviews.
