ABSTRACT
Experiments are often flawed by having inappropriate control conditions. Novice writers often make two common mistakes that lead to uncritical reviews. To prepare to write a critical review, the writer should assess the quality of each research article that will be cited. The first important area that requires critical assessment is sampling. More often than not, researchers work with samples that are less than ideal. The second important area that requires critical assessment is measurement. It is safe to presume that all measures are flawed to some extent. The third important area to consider when critically assessing studies to cite in a literature review relates to issues with validity, which, as discussed, applies especially to experiments. First, they often take the results of each study to be "facts" that have been proven. Second, novice writers often discuss all studies as though they were equal in quality when some studies are methodologically superior to others.
