The Difference Between Internal And External Validity
According to Burns et al. (2016), internal validity is the level of certainty that a researcher has in the assumption that a change in the dependent variable is a result of the independent variable. In contrast, external validity is the level of certainty a researcher has in the assumption that the relationship observed between a dependent and independent variable during a study would occur in real-world settings. Andrade (2018) argues that internal validity determines whether the research was conducted, studied, and analyzed, allowing reliable answers to the study’s research question. External validity determines whether the research results can be generalized in other settings. A researcher would use internal validity when researching cause-and-effect factors such as the impact of unemployment on poverty levels. On the other hand, a researcher would use external validity in a study whose findings can be generalized in any setting. For example, external validity can be used in a study on the coping strategies used by healthcare workers to overcome burnout.
One of the differences between external and internal validity is that internal validity examines the research structure, while external validity examines the research results’ generalizability. The second difference is that internal validity focuses on controlling important variables, while external validity focuses on applying the research findings to practical situations. The third difference is that internal validity defines the degree to which a study’s conclusion is justified. In contrast, external validity is the degree to which research is justified in generalizing the results to another setting. The fourth difference is that internal validity confirms the strength of the research design and method, while external validity examines the research outcome’s generality to the real world.
References
Andrade, C. (2018). Internal, external, and ecological validity in research design, conduct, and evaluation. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 40(5), 498-499. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpsym.ijpsym_334_18.
Burns, A. C., Bush, R. F., & Veeck, A. (2016). Marketing research (9th Ed.). Pearson Education Inc.
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Question 
The Difference Between Internal And External Validity
What is the difference between internal and external validity? Provide an example of when you would use each.