Research tool translation and cross-cultural adaptation

Data collection is one of the important stages of research requiring valid and reliable instruments. Most of the time, researchers try to design questionnaires or translate valid and reliable instruments. In medical studies, researchers need to use translated instruments. The important issue in this regard is to consider some facts and the process that keeps the original concept and meaning of a questionnaire. In this way using questionnaires at different societies with different cultures would be useful There are different methods to translate questionnaires with cross-cultural adaptation but, in Iran little evidence exists in this regard. In this article, a guideline for translation is presented. Stages of translation with cross-cultural adaptation include preparation, forward translation, reconciliation of forward translation, back translation of reconciliation, back translation review, cognitive debriefing and finalization, proofreading and final report, each discussed in detail