Technical Abstract: Despite the peer review process, it sometimes happens that scientific papers are published that give misleading or incorrect conclusions. Scientists with the USDA-ARS Soil and Water Management Research Unit, Bushland, Texas, found that a paper on soil water sensors published in an engineering journal gave recommendations that would have led to improper engineering practices if followed. In their discussion of the paper, the ARS scientists showed why soil temperature effects, ignored in the paper's conclusions, would lead to the erroneous conclusions. They also pointed out inadequate sampling and statistical analysis methods that made the study invalid on those grounds as well. Publication of this discussion will help engineers avoid using soil water content sensors that do not give correct water content values.