Critical appraisal for medical and health sciences: 2. How do I start?

1. Why was the study needed - and what was the research question?

• The question / hypothesis should be clearly stated in the study, look out for this in the introduction, or the early part of the methods section.
• Does the study add something to knowledge in the area? Has the question already been answered by other studies?

2. What was the research design?

• Quantitative or qualitative research, or a combination?
• Primary or secondary research?
• What's the methodology?
• Identifying the research design is important; this will determine which checklist you use for your more in-depth appraisal

3. Was the research design appropriate to the question?

• Was this the best method of addressing this research question? 

See the checklists tab to select the appropriate tool to complete an in-depth appraisal.

These specially designed checklists will help you focus on the most important aspects of the article.