A researcher discovers contradictory ratings on a survey by respondents. What action should the researcher take to address this issue?

When faced with contradictory ratings on a survey, removing self-contradictory questionnaires from the analysis is a sound approach. This action helps ensure the integrity and reliability of the data being analyzed. Self-contradictory responses can skew results and misrepresent the overall findings of the research. By excluding these questionnaires, the researcher can maintain a clearer picture of the respondents' true sentiments, making the conclusions drawn from the data more accurate and trustworthy.

Addressing the issue of contradictory responses is critical in research since such inconsistencies can complicate data interpretation and lead to erroneous conclusions. While other options may provide avenues to understand or mitigate the problem, removing conflicting responses directly eliminates the specific data points that could confuse analysis and result in unreliable outcomes. This step allows researchers to proceed with a cleaner dataset, thereby enhancing the validity of their study.