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Aan advisory editor of Speech Mono-graphs, my critiques of small group communication studies fall into several categories. Putting aside those which are laudatory and recommend publication, I should like to discuss some that are worrisome because they paradoxically praise the sophisticated methodology and damn the barrenness of the results. One might almost prepare a standard critique for an important segment of research articles in small groups. By leaving a few appropriate blanks to be filled in to adapt to the specific details of the study, an all-purpose critique would go something like this:

This is a clever and sophisticated study. The design is impeccable and the statistical treatment in the latest Style. Since I see studies like this published in all the leading behavioral science journals, I suspect that we are obliged to publish them as well. On that basis I would recommend publication.