Journal
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW
Volume 11, Issue 3, Pages 242-247Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2015.1124240
Keywords
Scale quality; alpha; internal consistency; validity; reliability
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Cronbach's alpha is a commonly reported estimate to assess scale quality in health psychology and related disciplines. In this paper, we argue that alpha is an inadequate estimate for both validity and reliability - two key elements of scale quality. Omega is a readily available alternative that can be used for both interval and ordinal data. More importantly, we argue that factor-analytic evidence should be presented before assessing the internal structure of a scale. Finally, pointers for readers and reviewers of manuscripts on making judgements about scale quality are provided and illustrated by examples from the field of health psychology.
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