What term describes the consistency and accuracy of instruments used in research?

The term that describes the consistency and accuracy of instruments used in research is reliability. Reliability refers to the degree to which an assessment tool produces stable and consistent results over repeated trials and across various conditions. This means that if the same measurement instrument is used multiple times under the same circumstances, it should yield similar results each time. A reliable instrument minimizes random errors and ensures that the data it collects is dependable for making conclusions.

While validity is also a crucial concept, it specifically refers to how well a tool measures what it claims to measure, rather than its consistency. Bias refers to systematic errors that can skew results, and measurement error includes any inaccuracies that affect the observed values. However, neither of these terms encompasses the idea of consistency and accuracy in the way that reliability does.