Growing out of these goals of diagnosis, the authors believe that an ideal TD assessment should have the following features (not listed in order of importance): ○The criteria should yield items that are very clear and subject to straightforward scoring. The information sought by each question should be clear to both the assessor and to the respondent, minimizing the need for extensive interpretation. Moreover, response options should be relatively few in number and easily converted to a suitable score.○The criteria should address constructs or domains that are theoretically and empirically central to dependence.○The assessment should be brief, making it appropriate for use in clinical settings.○The criteria should yield items and measures with sound psychometric properties; specifically, they should be reliable and valid. Reliability refers to the repeatability of results (e.g., obtaining the same diagnosis or score) when the underlying TD is stable. Validity relates to prediction of important outcomes seen as centrally relevant to dependence, such as future likelihood of quitting smoking successfully; heaviness of present and future use; need for, or response to, dependence-focused smoking cessation treatment. Other outcomes
