Answer:
that one variable precedes the other in time, that the two variables are correlated and that this relationship is not spurious.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generilized Causal Inference (2002), researchers Cook and Campbell present a set of conditions that must be met in order to establish a valid causal relationship: one variable precedes the other in time (temporal precedence), the two variables are correlated (covariation), and that this relationship is not spurious (no third variable is present).