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Recommendations for improving research quality: relationships among constructs, verbs in hypotheses, theoretical perspectives, and triangulation

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The purpose of this paper is to suggest recommendations for improving research quality and theory development by addressing four issues. Two of them concern hypotheses, their statements, and observed inconsistencies found in articles; the other two address issues related to theoretical perspectives and triangulation. We used a purposive sampling of scientific fields and articles that support and ground the ideas of this general review. This study clarifies inconsistent opposite relationships among variables found in theoretical models, discusses the usage of verbs in hypotheses, focuses on the cause-and-effect relationship between variables, identifies ways in which to rectify inconsistencies by including additional theoretical perspectives, and reminds the research community about triangulation. This paper concludes with the implications for research, practice, and society.

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Stamenkov, G. Recommendations for improving research quality: relationships among constructs, verbs in hypotheses, theoretical perspectives, and triangulation. Qual Quant 57, 2923–2946 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-022-01461-2

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