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- Scope Conditions. Dimiter Toshkov has a very clear, succinct take on “scope conditions” that mirrors my thoughts more elegantly than I could.
The key point: scope conditions are properly derived only from a theory. Scope conditions are deductive. Inductively derived limits on one’s sample are better referred to as something like “selection criteria.” There’s nothing wrong with such criteria, per se. However, in the absence of a theory, such criteria are simply choices (and perhaps quite appropriate ones) by the researcher—they do not have any truth value on their own. A logically consistent theory that states that condition X is necessary for the validity of conclusion Y provides a logically valid reason to exclude cases not satisfying X from analysis.