There is a consensus among soil scientists, agronomists, ecologists, and others that soil health is important. However, there is variation in how different stakeholders think about it. Crop scientists and farmers may be most interested in how soil health affects crop yields, whereas ecologists and conservation groups are interested in soil health to minimize erosion or maximize soil carbon sequestration. For organizations that support research and dissemination of information like our Societies, USDA-NRCS, or the newly formed Soil Health Partnership and Soil Health Institute, variation in how soil health is measured and reported can make it challenging to create resources to aid landowners/managers in ways that they can improve soil health. Researchers at Virginia Tech and the University of Idaho recently conducted a meta-analysis to assess how soil health is measured. Publications listed with the Soil Health Institute were included in this analysis, specifically, those listed as either “Residue and Tillage Management, No-Till” or “Cover Crop.” A total of 192 unique peer-reviewed studies conducted across North America were used with publication dates ranging from 1943 through 2015. The authors report their findings and discuss how soil health research could benefit from a common framework in an article recently published in Agricultural & Environmental Letters (https://doi.org/10.2134/ael2018.06.0033). In these 192 papers, researchers reported a variety of measurements and methods. The authors of the meta-analysis grouped all measurements into 42 indicators that include physical, biological, and chemical properties (e.g., soil N, pH, and bulk density). Soil-sampling methods were highly variable with the authors reporting that 30% of studies only sampled the upper 5 cm of soil while 20% included depths greater than or equal to 30 cm. The most commonly reported indicator was soil texture, which was included in 85% of studies. However, the majority of these papers included soil texture as part of the site description and not as a response variable. Soil carbon and bulk density were also commonly reported in 50 and 40% of studies, respectively. Changes in crop yield associated with changes in soil health, which is of great interest to farmers, was reported in less than one-third of the papers. The results of the meta-analysis offer insight into which indicators offer the most information for those seeking to evaluate soil health. The authors combined the 42 indicators into six categories: physical properties, chemical characteristics, biological indicators, environmental states and fluxes, agronomic responses, and general indicators. Of these six categories, biological indicators, environmental states and fluxes, and agronomic responses appeared to be the most responsive to treatments or changes in management practices, and physical indicators were also important. Identifying the indicators that are sensitive to changes in management practices will be valuable for those working to inform farmers and regulators about soil health assessments and monitoring. Based on the results of this meta-analysis, the authors suggest a set of parameters for collecting data and reporting results in soil health studies. These include what they call basic “vital signs”: soil texture, pH, bulk density, and soil carbon. Additionally, they suggest measuring aggregate stability, infiltration rates, and microbial indicators, which appear to be highly responsive to management changes. “A common framework for soil health data should enable compilation of findings from various studies, making it critical that measurements are gathered with consistent protocols and reporting units,” the authors write. “For example, soil sampling should be standardized in terms of depths and number of replicates while accounting for different equipment and resources available to individuals and groups.” The authors also stress that reporting all results, even those that are neutral or negative, makes it easier to compare studies. Having agreement about a common framework for sharing soil health information could accelerate our understanding of the concept and provide consistency in messaging to farmers and landowners seeking to improve soil health. Corresponding author Ryan Stewart will be giving a presentation on this study at the International Soils meeting in San Diego next month: https://bit.ly/2A55amm. The original Agricultural & Environmental Letters article can be viewed at https://doi.org/10.2134/ael2018.06.0033.