Ensuring data quality in extension research and evaluation studies

This article presents a checklist as a guide for Extension professionals to use in research and evaluation studies they carry out. A total of 40 statements grouped under eight data quality components-relevance, objectivity, validity, reliability, integrity, generalizability, completeness, and utility-are identified to ensure that research carried out by Extension professionals is credible, followed research protocols, was conducted in an ethical manner, and can withstand the test of scrutiny by reviewers. Researchers and Extension professionals can use the checklist to identify the areas that are methodologically sound and the areas that need improvement.