Table 1From “What is external validity? A result needs a transfer boundary”
Which four dimensions change the transfer question?
Table 1Which four dimensions change the transfer question?
| Dimension | Object that can change | Diagnostic question | Typical hidden substitution |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-validity | Population or unit | Who was in the source, and who is in the target? | Trial users become enterprise accounts |
| T-validity | Treatment or implementation | Is the target intervention the same treatment in the relevant sense? | An email sequence becomes a sales-led program |
| Y-validity | Outcome or measurement | Is the target outcome the same construct, event, and horizon? | First report exported becomes 90-day renewal |
| C-validity | Context or setting | Could geography, institution, channel, language, regulation, or time change the mechanism? | One market's operating conditions become another's |
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What is external validity? A result needs a transfer boundary
External validity asks whether a result transfers across a named population, treatment, outcome, and context. Name the target before generalizing.
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Figure 1Figure
The external-validity transfer matrix
What is external validity? A result needs a transfer boundary

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What is external validity? A result needs a transfer boundary
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