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Critical appraisal is an essential part of the Evidence Based Practice process. Critical appraisal identifies possible flaws or problems with the study methodology, the transparency of the study design as written in the article, the quality of the research, and  level of evidence.

Appraisal Concepts - Validity & Reliability

What is validity?

Critical appraisal will help to determine the validity of a study in two important ways. Internal validity relates to the reliability and accuracy of research results, effected by the appropriateness of the research methods used to address the research question, and the extent to which a study measures what it sets out to measure. External validity relates to the extent to which research results are generalizable to populations beyond the study participants.

What is reliability?

Reliability is the extent to which the results of the experiment are replicable.  The research methodology should be described in detail so that the experiment could be repeated with similar results.

The below sites host checklists which can be used to help appraise the reliability and applicability of publications, ranging from peer-reviewed articles to grey literature

• Amstar systematic review checklist

  AMSTAR (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) can be used to assess the methodological quality of a systematic review and as a guide to performing a systematic review. Two agreements are required during quality assessment ensuring lower risk of bias. AMSTAR has guidelines explaining each outlined item

• CASP Appraisal Checklists

  This set of eight critical appraisal tools are designed to be used when reading research, these include tools for Systematic Reviews, Randomised Controlled Trials, Cohort Studies, Case Control Studies, Economic Evaluations, Diagnostic Studies, Qualitative studies and Clinical Prediction Rule.

• Critical Appraisal tools

  A series of critical appraisal worksheets for different types of research studies, from the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM) - including versions in multiple languages

• Critical Appraisal Tools

  Critical appraisal checklists for a broad range of research study types, from the Joanna Briggs Institute

• SIGN checklists

  These checklists were subjected to evaluation and adaptation to meet the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network's (SIGN’s) requirements for a balance between methodological rigour and practicality of use.

• Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT)

  The MMAT is intended to be used as a checklist for concomitantly appraising and/or describing studies included in systematic mixed studies reviews (reviews including original qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies).

• AACODS grey literature checklist

  The AACODS checklist is a tool for evaluating the Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objective, Date and Significance of grey literature.