Exclusion criteria play a crucial role in safeguarding participants and ensuring the validity of a study. Here are some key reasons why they are important:
Participant Safety: Exclusion criteria help protect individuals who may be at a higher risk of adverse effects due to certain medical conditions or medications. Research Integrity: They help create a homogeneous study population, which can lead to more reliable and interpretable results. Ethical Considerations: By excluding individuals who may be harmed, researchers adhere to ethical standards in conducting research. Data Quality: Exclusion criteria ensure that the data collected is robust, reducing confounding variables that could skew results.
