The significance of this essay for English educators and research specialists lies in its analysis of the demands of and criteria for valid research, frequently ignored by researchers in English today. Using as a case in point Roger K. Applebee's article, "National Study of High School English Programs: A Record of English Teaching Today" ("English Journal," March 1966), the author suggests that false conceptions and stereotypes are perpetuated by the following questionable research procedures: (1) using a tone of rhetorical appeal in presentation, (2) selecting a population too small to qualify as good random sampling, (3) including only one representative point of view in English education, (4) not clearly defining vocabulary terms which have multiple meanings nor indicating measurement instruments used in the study, and (5) making misleading inferences and conclusions based on insufficient data. The essay then calls upon English teachers who are intersted in undertaking research projects or experiments in their classrooms to follow established scientific procedures so that their findings can be trusted and accepted. (JB)