The present paper contributes to research methodology as practiced in the field by providing practitioners with a concise statement of the problems in analyzing unbalanced designs, and by clarifying the conditions under which the analysis alternatives are most appropriate. The purposes of the present paper are: (1) to examine the analysis alternatives which have been suggested for unbalanced data, (2) to determine the interpretation appropriate to each type of analysis, and (3) to suggest which of the techniques are appropriate for different types of research questions. The above concepts are illustrated with data from typical research studies. (Author)