Technical Papers
Jun 19, 2014

Validation Methodologies and Their Impact in Construction Productivity Research

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140, Issue 10

Abstract

Choosing validation methods in construction research is challenging. This study explores trends in the use of validation methods and their impacts based on a statistical analysis of a sample set of 365 research articles on construction productivity. This sample set provides a balance of the breadth and cohesion required for significant comparisons and the temporal depth required for longitudinal analysis. The contributions of this research include (1) a critical review of the validation methodologies that can be used for research projects in construction engineering and management, (2) an investigation of the statistical relationship between validation methods and the impact in terms of citations of research over time in different source categories, and (3) statistically significant observations over the preceding thirty years of the increased use of functional demonstration as a validation methodology and the decreased existence of unclear validation. These results may be used in the future to influence the choice of validation methods to increase the impact of construction productivity research.

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Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 140Issue 10October 2014

History

Received: Aug 20, 2013
Accepted: Apr 17, 2014
Published online: Jun 19, 2014
Published in print: Oct 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Nov 19, 2014

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Authors

Affiliations

Jiali Liu
Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Waterloo, 200 Univ. Ave. W., Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1.
Arash Shahi [email protected]
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Waterloo, 200 Univ. Ave. W., Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1 (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Carl T. Haas, F.ASCE
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Waterloo, 200 Univ. Ave. W., Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1.
Paul Goodrum
Professor, Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Univ. of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309.
Carlos H. Caldas
Professor, Dept. of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712.

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