Critical appraisal tools
The tools listed below will help identify the many ways that error and bias can distort research results.
These tools generally have a core set of questions around 'risk of bias'. Some tools also include other questions to address precision and external validity i.e. generalisability.
The recommended Cochrane risk of bias tools define internal validity as "risk of bias" and consider that to be the key concept when assessing if a study is valid.
Among the collection are a set of checklists that SURE have developed, please note that these have not been externally validated.
The Cochrane Collaboration advocate against the use of scales yielding a summary score.
- ROBIS: Tools to assess risk of bias in systematic reviews [Recommended]
- SURE Systematic Review Critical Appraisal checklist
- Critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) Checklist for Systematic Reviews
- AMSTAR 2: a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews that include randomised or nonrandomised studies of healthcare interventions, or both
- Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (2.0) [Recommended]
- SURE Experimental Studies Critical Appraisal checklist
- Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist for Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs)
- JBI Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trials
- NHLBI Quality Assessment of Controlled Intervention Studies
- SIGN Randomised Controlled Trials Checklist
Cohort
- Cochrane ROBINS-I tool [Recommended]
- Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist for Cohort Studies
- SURE Cohort Studies Critical Appraisal checklist
- JBI Checklist for Cohort Studies
- NHLBI Quality Assessment of Cohort Studies
- SIGN Cohort Studies checklist
Case controlled
- Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist for Case Control Studies
- SURE Case Controlled Studies Critical Appraisal checklist
- JBI Checklist for Case Controlled Studies
- NHLBI Quality Assessment of Case Controlled Studies
- SIGN Case Controlled Studies Checklist
Cross-sectional
- SURE Cross-sectional Studies Critical Appraisal checklist
- JBI Checklist for Case Cross-sectional Studies
- NHLBI Quality Assessment of Cross-sectional Studies
Case series
- NICE Guidelines, The Manual Appendix H. pp2 Algorithm for classifying quantitative (experimental and observational) study designs
- pp.24-25 in Evidence-Based Answers to Clinical Questions for Busy Clinicians. The Centre for Clinical Effectiveness, Monash Institute of Health Services Research: Melbourne, Australia, 2006
- AHRQ study design algorithms
Feedback or suggestions
If you have any feedback and suggestions for improvement, please contact us: