When choosing a patient population to derive a sample from, the inclusion criteria of the specific participants of interest must be objectively and explicitly stated. This is so that other researchers, clinicians, and audience members can generalize the treatment effects to their respective patient populations. Inclusion criteria should be very specific in that they exactly define the characteristics of participants that are going to be objects of analysis. Demogrpahic, clinical, geographical, and temporal characteristics are most often used to define inclusion criteria. With inclusion criteria, a deductive approach is used to define the specific population that is being studied.
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