In the social sciences, triangulation refers to the application and combination of several research methods in the study of the same phenomenon.[1] By combining multiple observers, theories, methods, and empirical materials, researchers hope to overcome the weakness or intrinsic biases and the problems that come from single method, single-observer, and single-theory studies.
It is popularly used in sociology. "The concept of triangulation is borrowed from navigational and land surveying techniques that determine a single point in space with the convergence of measurements taken from two other distinct points."[2]
Triangulation can be used in both quantitative and qualitative studies as an alternative to traditional criteria like reliability and validity.