1. GATHER ALL THE INFORMATION YOU CAN

2. BE SURE ALL THE KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS ARE DEFINED AND THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THESE DEFINITIONS

3. QUESTION HOW THE DATA WERE OBTAINED
» Were the studies well designed and carried out?
» Was there an experimental and control group?  Were the two treated identically except for the variable changed in the experimental group?
» Did the investigators repeat their experiments several times and get essentially the same results?  If so, what is the estimated error or degree of uncertainty in the results?
» Were the results verified by one or more other investigators?

4. QUESTION THE CONCLUSIONS DERIVED FROM THE DATA
» Do the data support the claims, conclusions and predictions?
» Are other interpretations possible or more reasonable?
» Are the conclusions based on the results of original research by experts in the field involved, or are they conclusions drawn by reporters or scientists in other fields?

5. EXPECT AND TOLERATE UNCERTAINITY.  THE MORE COMPLEX THE SYSTEM OR PROCESS, THE GREATER THE DEGREE OF UNCERTAINITY

6. LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE
» How do the results and conclusions fit into the whole system involved?

7. TAKE A POSITION BY EITHER REJECTING OR CONDITIONALLY ACCEPTING THE CLAIMS.
» Reject claims not based on any evidence, based on insufficient evidence, or based on evidence from questionable sources.
» If evidence does not support a claim, reject it and state the conclusion you would draw from the evidence
» If the evidence supports the claims, conditionally accept the claims with the understanding that your support may change if new evidence arises