The Systematic Organization and Validation of Scale Data in Research: The When and Where in the Multidisciplinary Use of What

Martha Sayre, University of Michigan

The recognition of the importance of scales in research is well established. The growth in the collection of information necessary for the construction of scales and the development of analytic models that incorporate a variety of scales in research frameworks argues that our science will benefit only if we can achieve a systematic understanding of how scales are collected across disciplines, how they are organized and how results from scales are interpreted. This poster presents an overview of recent work by inactive to catalog and systematically review the use of scales in social research. The poster touches on how various types of scales are collected and how different disciplines use different strategies in survey design and the creation of questionnaires and how this impacts collection protocols. The poster also addresses some of the language and definitional issues that create barriers that complicate collaborative research between social and physical science practitioners.