The Daubert Guidelines: Usefulness, Utilization, and Suggestions for Improving Quality Control

Federal courts and many state courts have adopted the Daubert standard for the admissibility of expert witness evidence. I briefly describe the Daubert guidelines, their utility, and current use. I also share some thoughts on the implications of the Daubert guidelines for improving peer review as a method of quality control in the courtroom, alerting the courts to factors that can threaten the internal validity of research, and increasing the frequency in which experts accurately apply valid, reliable research to support their opinions.