Points to consider when reading a published paper (1) Does the paper involve the development of a theoretical model or is it merely a technique looking for an application so that the motivation for the whole exercise is poor? (2) Are the data of ‘good quality’? Are they from a reliable source? Is the size of the sample sufficiently large for the model estimation task at hand? (3) Have the techniques been validly applied? Have tests been conducted for possible violations of any assumptions made in the estimation of the model? (4) Have the results been interpreted sensibly? Is the strength of the results exaggerated? Do the results actually obtained relate to the questions posed by the author(s)? Can the results be replicated by other researchers? (5) Are the conclusions drawn appropriate given the results, or has the importance of the results of the paper been overstated?