"Critical Appraisal is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context. It is an essential skill for evidence-based medicine because it allows people to find and use research evidence reliably and efficiently" (CASP, 2023)
Tools and Checklists
When you critically appraise a paper you will scrutinise it in order to objectively evaluate the quality and validity of it's conclusions and it's findings, and check for any bias. This is usually done through a series of pre-designed questions, which are also known as checklists. The specific questions used change slightly with different study designs. There are various sets of questions / checklists which are freely available online. Here are some good quality options:
- Understanding Health Research
This tool will guide you through a series of questions to help you to review and interpret a published health research paper.
- Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklistsFree downloadable checklists to help you more easily and accurately perform critical appraisal across a number of different study types.
For further guidance on how they are structured, take a look at the guide on how to use our CASP checklists.
- JBI Critical Appraisal ToolsJBI’s critical appraisal tools assist in assessing the trustworthiness, relevance and results of published papers.
Books for Critical Appraisal
There are many books available in the library with more detailed information and guidance on critical appraisal. Often there will be a chapter or section about critical appraisal in a book about research or evidence-based practice. Here is a selection of books to get you started:
How to Read a Paper by Call Number: 616.03 G72ISBN: 9781119484721Publication Date: 2019Gives detailed information on how to critically appraise a range of papers and study types. Includes checklists.
A Beginner's Guide to Evidence-Based Practice in Health and Social Care by Call Number: 610.73072 A82ISBN: 9780335251971Publication Date: 2023Chapter 6: How do I know if the evidence is convincing and useful?
Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals by Call Number: 610.73 L35ISBN: 9781529775914Publication Date: 2022Chapter 5: What is Critical Appraisal?
Critical Appraisal Skills Programme [CASP] (2023) What is Critical Appraisal? Available at: https://casp-uk.net/what-is-critical-appraisal/ (Accessed: 15 August 2023)