RELIABILITY OF DATA IN ECOPATHOLOGICAL IN VESTIGATIONS

The reliability of information gathered during ecopathological investi gations is a constant concern, requiring a rigorous strategy to limit risks of error. These risks are all the more important when there are human shortcomings (farmer or investigator) as opposed to technical sh ortcomings (results of laboratory tests). A dual strategy can be imple mented to guarantee reliability: ensuring reliable collection of data by attention to the human element (selection of farmers, training of i nvestigators, organisation of professional partners), and ensuring the collection of reliable data by attention to facts (quality of the que stionnaire, harmonisation of procedures, objective interpretation of q ualitative findings, quality of data-processing support, timing of dat a collection, verification procedures). The arguments is supported by numerous examples provided by teams of ecopathologists.