Validity issues for reputational studies

Validity criteria can and should be applied to reputational study models, and research that tests their validity and reliability should be conducted. Such concerns, while weighing heavily on the minds of institutional researchers and others on campus, have typically not been raised by consumers and publishers. Two studies of U.S. News & World Report's “America's Best Colleges” suggest that this guide's validity may be suspect and that systematic research and development are long overdue.