- Can experiments detect differences that matter?: It is important to be able to spot differences between closely related species, strains, sequences, etc. or else conclusions may not be accurate or may miss important clues.
- Does the study show causation or correlation?: Two factors may be correlated (the presence/absence of one is directly associated with the presence/absence of the other) but that does not automatically mean that there is causation between the factors (the presence/absence of one causes the presence/absence of the other). It is important for readers to know the difference between correlation and causation.
- What is the mechanism?: How was the experiment designed, carried out and measured? Readers should be able to understand the design and interpretation of the experiment.
- How much do experiments reflect reality?: What were the conditions under which the experiment was carried out? Readers must analyze this information to see how reliable the results are and how well they could be applied to real world situations. For instance, if the experiment involves a small population or a non-diverse population, it should probably be taken with a grain of salt until further research is carried out.
- Could anything else explain the results?: What are the alternative hypotheses? Readers should consider other possible answers before drawing any major conclusions from the results.
I think that for discussing controversy, the most important of these is causation vs. correlation. Many controversies stem around this question and exploring this topic more thoroughly may lead to greater insight.
