What does “Validation” mean in CRediT?

Validation is one of the 14 roles in ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022, the CRediT standard developed by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). The definition concerns verifying that results, experiments and other research outputs can be replicated or reproduced, and it allows this verification “whether as a part of the activity or separate”. The example tasks include confirming that data, methods, results and resources are sound through review, benchmarking, fact-checking or replication; piloting data collection instruments and protocols to see whether they work; appraising the studies in a systematic review and checking compliance with review standards or reporting frameworks; and testing a computational model or simulation against known outcomes.

The line with Investigation is purpose. Investigation is performing the experiments or collecting the data and evidence on which findings rest, whereas Validation checks whether those findings, methods or instruments hold up. A pilot test shows how close the two sit: NISO lists it under Validation when its aim is to validate an instrument or protocol. Testing existing code components belongs to the Software definition, while testing a computational model against known outcomes for accuracy is a Validation example.