Some have argued that the only legitimate support for causal claims can come from randomized control trials (RCTs, i.e., trials in which subjects are allocated to an experimental or a control group according to a strictly random procedure). There are few such studies among the many outlined in this book, although it could be claimed that there are many “evidence-informed” arguments in this book. While the use of randomized control trials is a powerful method, Scriven (2005) has argued that a higher gold standard relates to studies that are capable of establishing conclusions “beyond reasonable
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