Page 473 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

440 n REPlICATION STUDIES

interventions are time consuming, and there- procedures and conditions. In virtual repli-
fore, research is costly. cation, the methods of the original study are
R recreated in varying degrees. In systematic
Barbara K. Haight replication, neither the methods nor the sub-
stance of the original study are duplicated.
Pseudoreplication is similar to identical and
virtual replication; however, data for pseu-
Replication studies doreplication are collected at the same time
as those for the original study. The simulta-
neous confirmation of the study is built into
Replication involves repeating or reproduc- the original design.
ing a research study to investigate whether Types of replication include retest, inter-
similar findings will be obtained in differ- nal, independent, and theoretical replication.
ent settings and with different samples. Retest replication involves repeating an origi-
Replication is needed not only to establish nal study with few, if any, significant changes
the credibility of research findings but also in the research design. Internal replication is
to extend generalizability. Blomquist (1986) incorporated into the original study. Data
listed five reasons replication studies should for both the original study and its replicated
be encouraged in nursing: (a) scientific merit study are collected simultaneously to pro-
is established, (b) Type I and Type II errors are vide a cross-check for the reliability of the
decreased, (c) construct validity is increased, original results. In independent replication,
(d) support for theory development is pro- significant modifications in the design of the
vided, and (e) acceptance of erroneous original study are made to verify the empir-
results is prevented. Replication studies are ical generalization. In theoretical replication,
essential for developing a scientific knowl- the inductive process is used to examine the
edge base in nursing. Incorporating research feasibility of fitting the empirical findings
findings into nursing practice has been seri- into a general theoretical framework. The
ously hampered by the limited number of purpose of choosing this type of replication
replication studies. Clarification of repli- is to determine if the original findings can
cation terminology can assist in advancing be confirmed when modest changes in the
replication research. research conditions have been made. When
There are three methods of replication: original findings are replicated, confidence
literal, operational, and constructive. literal in the reliability of these results is enhanced.
replication is an exact duplication of the All classifications include an approach to
original researcher’s sampling, procedure, increase empirical generalization by signifi-
experimental treatment, data collection tech- cantly modifying the original design.
niques, and data analysis. Operational repli- Replication studies conducted in nurs-
cation involves an exact duplication of only ing have addressed topics such as nursing
the sampling and experimental procedures education, nurses’ characteristics, periopera-
in the original research to check whether tive nursing, body image during pregnancy,
the original design when used by another cardiac care, fetal monitoring, and time per-
leads to the same results. In constructive rep- ception. When publishing replicated studies,
lication, duplicate methods are purposely nurse researchers should include the fol-
avoided. lowing information: (a) identification of the
Four replication strategies have been specific type of replication that is conducted,
described: identical, virtual, systematic, and (b) provision of specific information on how a
pseudo. Identical replication involves a one- replicated study is the same as and different
to-one duplication of the original study’s from the original study, and (c) explanation of