Under the Frye standard for scientific evidence, reliability requires what?

• A. The technique must be generally accepted in the scientific community
• B. It must be properly performed
• C. It must generate results generally accepted as reliable
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

The Frye standard focuses on whether the underlying technique or theory is generally accepted as reliable by the relevant scientific community. In other words, admissibility turns on the method itself being broadly endorsed by experts in the field. It does not require that the method be perfectly performed in the specific case, nor does it require that the results themselves be universally accepted as reliable. Those aspects may be addressed by other rules or standards, but under Frye the gatekeeper question is simply: is the technique generally accepted by scientists as valid? That’s why the best answer emphasizes general acceptance of the method, rather than execution quality or acceptance of the particular results.