Critical Appraisal
Use this guide to find information resources about critical appraisal including checklists, books and journal articles.
Last updated:
08/02/2024
Key Resources
Bedford D (2018) Anatomy of a journal article.
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This online resource explains the sections commonly used in research articles. Understanding how research articles are organised can make reading and evaluating them easier
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Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP)
Centre for Evidence Based Medicine: Critical appraisal tools
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Worksheets for appraising systematic reviews, diagnostics, prognostics and RCTs.
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Cochrane: Evidence essentials
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A free online resource for both healthcare staff and patients; four modules of 30–45 minutes provide an introduction to evidence based medicine, clinical trials and Cochrane Evidence.
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Joanna Briggs Institute: Critical appraisal tools
MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow (no date) Understanding Health Research.
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This tool will guide you through a series of questions to help you to review and interpret a published health research paper.
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PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis)
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The PRISMA flow diagram depicts the flow of information through the different phases of a literature review. It maps out the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions.
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The Campbell Collaboration: Methodological Expectations of Campbell Collaboration Intervention Reviews (MECCIR)
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A useful resource for methods and evidence in applied social science.
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The Equator Network
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A comprehensive database of reporting guidelines. Covers all the main study types.
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AMSTAR
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A tool to assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews.
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Books
Aveyard H, Preston N and Farquhar M (2022) How to read and critique research: a guide for nursing and healthcare students. London: SAGE.
Aveyard H (2023) Doing a literature review in health and social care: a practical guide. 5th edn. London: Open University Press. -
Chapter 5 covers critical appraisal of the literature.
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Booth A, Sutton A, Clowes M and Martyn-St James M (2022) Systematic approaches to a successful literature review. 3rd edn. Los Angeles: SAGE. -
Chapter 6 covers assessing the evidence base.
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Bootland D and others (2016) Critical appraisal from papers to patient: a practical guide. London: CRC Press. -
Section 1 covers an introduction to critical appraisal. Section 3 covers appraising difference types of papers including qualitative papers and observational studies.
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Coughlan M and Cronin P (2020) Doing a literature review in nursing, health and social care. 3rd edn. Los Angeles: Sage. -
Chapter 6 covers critically appraising the literature.
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Elwood M (2017) Critical appraisal of epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gerrish K, and Lathlean J (2015) The research process in nursing. 7th edn. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell. -
Chapter 8 covers critical appraisal of the evidence.
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Greenhalgh T (2019) How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine and healthcare. 6th edn. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons.
Gray J R and Grove S K (2020) Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: appraisal, synthesis and generation of evidence. 9th edn. Philadelphia: Saunders. -
Chapter 18 covers critical appraisal of nursing studies.
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Linsley P, Kane R and Barker J (2022) Evidence-based practice for nurses and allied health professionals. 5th edn. Los Angeles: Sage.
LoBiondo-Wood G and Haber J (2022) Nursing research: methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. 10th edn. St. Louis: Elsevier.
Schmidt N and Brown J (2022) Evidence-based practice for nurses: appraisal and application of research. 3rd edn. Burlington: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Book subject search
Use this link to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on this topic.
Journal articles
Moorley C and Cathala X (2019) How to appraise mixed methods research, Evidence-Based Nursing, 22(2), pp. 38–41.
Moorley C and Cathala X (2019) How to appraise qualitative research, Evidence-Based Nursing, 22(1), pp. 10–13.
Cathala X and Moorley C (2018) How to appraise quantitative research, Evidence-Based Nursing, 21(4), pp. 99–101.
Buccheri RK and Sharifi C (2017) Critical appraisal tools and reporting guidelines for evidence‐based practice, Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing, 14(6), pp. 463-472.
Connelly LM (2016) Trustworthiness in qualitative research. (Understanding research), MedSurg Nursing, 25 (6), pp.435-436.
Fineout-Overholt E, Melnyk BM, Stillwell SB and Williamson KM (2010) Critical appraisal of the evidence: part I. An introduction to gathering, evaluating and recording the evidence, American Journal of Nursing, 110 (7), pp.47-52.
Fineout-Overholt E, Melnyk BM, Stillwell, SB and Williamson KM (2010) Critical appraisal of the evidence: part II. Digging deeper—examining the "keeper" studies, American Journal of Nursing, 110 (9), pp. 41-48.
Fineout-Overholt E, Melnyk BM, Stillwell SB and Williamson KM (2010) Critical appraisal of the evidence: Part III. The process of synthesis: seeing similarities and differences across the body of evidence, American Journal of Nursing, 110 (11), pp. 43-51.
Heale R and Twycross A (2015) Validity and reliability in quantitative studies, Evidence-Based Nursing, 18 (3), pp.66-67.
Myers G and Levin RF (2012) "Can you touch your toes? Using tables of evidence (TOES) to organize your evidence review", Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 26 (4), pp.238-240.
Noble H and Smith J (2015) Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research", Evidence-Based Nursing, 18 (2), pp.34-35
Shea BJ and others (2017) AMSTAR 2: a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews that include randomised or non-randomised studies of healthcare interventions or both, British Medical Journal, 358.
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An outline of AMSTAR 2 and its use for as a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews.
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Smith J and Noble H (2014) Bias in research, Evidence-Based Nursing, 17 (4), pp. 100-101.
Smith J and Noble H (2016) Reviewing the literature, Evidence-Based Nursing, 19 (1), pp. 2-3.
Stonehouse D (2016) Evidence-based practice: knowing what's good or bad, British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 10 (4), pp. 199-201.
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Page last updated - 08/02/2024
