As Journal of Experimental Botany (JXB) editors, we often receive manuscripts focusing on phenotyping drought tolerance and plant responses to water deficit. Despite extensive research identifying multiple drought tolerance genes in recent decades, practical field application remains limited. We have observed that the quality of research in this field frequently suffers from flawed experimental designs, inconsistent terminology, overinterpretation of data, or unrealistic lab-to-field extrapolations. To tackle these challenges, the JXB editorial board established a working group to guide better experiment design, data interpretation, and result reporting, focusing on experiments performed in supposedly ‘controlled conditions’. Our recommendations include: • Establishing clear, testable hypotheses and objectives moving away from vague goals like "improving drought tolerance". • Utilizing precise, consensus-driven terminology to clearly communicate objectives and hypotheses. • Designing experiments that adequately account for the complexities of genotype-environment (GxE) interactions, by including sufficient biological replicates and conducting multiple experiments as well as measuring soil, plant and environmental parameters in parallel to monitor complex cross-interactions. • Considering the impact of whole-plant transpiration on soil-moisture and stress levels, stemming from interactions with pot sizes and soil-substrate, and acknowledging that plant responses to drought depend on, and also affect, their developmental stage. These guidelines aim to enhance research quality, contributing vital knowledge to combat the growing threat of drought to agriculture.