Systematic and systematic-like review toolkit

Step 4: Appraisal tools

Critical appraisal tools help you to check the validity and accuracy of article information, tailored to specific study designs.

If you're not sure where to start read Buchieri and Shafiri’s article (2017) Critical Appraisal Tools and Reporting Guidelines for Evidence-Based Practice. It outlines the uses of appraisal tools, the strengths and weaknesses of different tools along with links to various examples. It also explains Reporting Guidelines, which assist in performing a study according to best practice guidelines.

Tip

You can see examples of guidelines on various topics and study types at The Equator Network.

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Appraisal Resources

Checklists

• Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP)
• A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR)

Tools and resources

• The Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository - lists appraisal tools which can then be filtered by study type to see which are suitable for the studies to be assessed. There are also notes about the tool in some cases.
• McMaster University critical review forms - includes both qualitative and quantitative study designs
• Joanna Briggs Institute - a number of downloadable checklists for a range of study types.
• The Systematic Review Toolbox - a searchable catalogue of tools for use when conducting advanced reviews process.
• The University of South Australia - has a range of appraisal tools, listed by type of study.
• Evidence Analysis Manual, in particular the Quality Criteria Checklist from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Note

A study-by-study synthesis is not generally included in traditional literature and scoping reviews as they employ a more general critical analysis.