For proper investigative methods to be valid, they must:

Question

Options

• ABe a standard method
• BBe replicatable
• CAdhere to best practice
• DAll of the above

• A
  2% (1)
• B
  84% (54)
• C
  9% (6)
• D
  5% (3)

Explanation

Replicability is the foundational requirement for investigative validity because it allows independent parties to follow the same method and arrive at the same results - without this, findings cannot be verified, challenged, or trusted in legal or scientific contexts. Option A is incorrect because a method does not need to be "standard" to be valid; a novel technique can be entirely valid as long as its results can be independently reproduced. Option C is incorrect because "best practice" refers to recommended guidelines, not mandatory criteria - a method can deviate from best practice and still produce valid, reproducible results. "All of the above" (D) fails because it depends on A and C being correct, which they are not.

Memory tip: Think of it as the "repeat test" - if another investigator cannot repeat your method and get the same outcome, the investigation cannot hold up to scrutiny. Replicability = verifiability.

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