Importance of Appraisal
Once you figure out what to look for and where to look, you still have to worry about the quality of the material you find. A poorly done systematic review is not better than a well done randomized controlled trial.
When reviewing the literature, it is important to critically appraise the body of evidence (original studies)
Judging the value of evidence involves evaluating:
•Bias: are the results misleading? This can be bias based on limited sample of results, errors in conduct or analysis of studies
•Validity of studies: Do the results represent truth or is there a chance of random error? (determined by use of use of sound statistics)
On this page, you will find some resources to help you with appraising the material you find.
Guides to Appraising Literature
The following Power Point presentations are taken from a series of Evidence Based Clinical Practice Modules that are currently being used by the University of Iowa's College of Public Health for their 2020 & 2021 classes.
Note: The Module quizzes are not available for use.
Calculators
- Diagnostic Test CalculatorThis was developed by the University of Illinois at Chicago.
