research article appraisal part one assignment

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Indian J Anaesth
• v.60(9); 2016 Sep

Critical appraisal of published literature

Goneppanavar umesh.

Department of Anaesthesia, Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, India

John George Karippacheril

1 Department of Anaesthesiology, Universal Hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Rahul Magazine

2 Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, India

With a large output of medical literature coming out every year, it is impossible for readers to read every article. Critical appraisal of scientific literature is an important skill to be mastered not only by academic medical professionals but also by those involved in clinical practice. Before incorporating changes into the management of their patients, a thorough evaluation of the current or published literature is an important step in clinical practice. It is necessary for assessing the published literature for its scientific validity and generalizability to the specific patient community and reader's work environment. Simple steps have been provided by Consolidated Standard for Reporting Trial statements, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and several other resources which if implemented may help the reader to avoid reading flawed literature and prevent the incorporation of biased or untrustworthy information into our practice.

INTRODUCTION

Critical appraisal

‘ The process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context ’ -Burls A[ 1 ]

The objective of medical literature is to provide unbiased, accurate medical information, backed by robust scientific evidence that could aid and enhance patient care. With the ever increasing load of scientific literature (more than 12,000 new articles added every week to the MEDLINE database),[ 2 ] keeping abreast of the current literature can be arduous. Critical appraisal of literature may help distinguish between useful and flawed studies. Although substantial resources of peer-reviewed literature are available, flawed studies may abound in unreliable sources. Flawed studies if used to guide clinical decisions may end up with no benefit or at worse result in significant harm. Readers can, thus, make informed decisions by critically evaluating medical literature.

STEPS TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE AN ARTICLE

Initial evaluation of an article published in literature should be based on certain core questions. These may include querying what could be the key learning points in the article, about its clinical relevance, if the study has a robust methodology, if the results are reproducible and could there be any bias or conflict of interest [ Table 1 ]. If there are serious doubts regarding any of these steps, the reader could skip the article at this stage itself.

Core questions for initial evaluation of a scientific article

Introduction, methods, results and discussion pattern of scientific literature

Introduction.

Evaluate if the need (as dearth of studies on the topic in scientific literature) and the purpose of the study (attempting to find answers to one of the important unanswered queries of clinical relevance) are properly explained with scientific rationale. If the research objective and hypothesis were not clearly defined or the findings of the study are different from the objectives (chance findings), the study outcomes become questionable.

A good working scientific hypothesis backed by a strong methodology is the stepping stone for carrying out a meaningful research. The groups to be involved and the study end points should be determined prior to starting the study. Strong methodology depends on several aspects that must be properly addressed and evaluated [ Table 2 ]. The methodology for statistical analysis including tests for distribution pattern of study data, level of significance and sample size calculation should be clearly defined in the methods section. Data that violate the assumption of normal distribution pattern must be analysed with non-parametric statistical tests. Inadequate sample size can lead to false-negative results or beta error (aide-memoire: beta error is blindness). Setting a higher level of significance, especially when performing multiple comparisons, can lead to false-positive results or alpha error (aide-memoire: alpha error is hallucination). A confidence interval when used in the study methodology provides information on the direction and strength of the effect, in contrast to P values alone, from which the magnitude, direction or comparison of relative risk between groups cannot be inferred. P value simply accepts or rejects the null hypothesis, therefore it must be reported in conjunction with confidence intervals.[ 6 ] An important guideline for evaluating and reporting randomised controlled trials, mandatory for publication in several international medical journals, is the Consolidated Standard for Reporting Trial (CONSORT) statement.[ 7 ] Other scientific societies such as the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network have devised checklists that may aid in the critical evaluation of articles depending on the type of study methodology.[ 8 , 9 ]

Appraisal elements for robust evaluation of study methodology

The results section should only report the findings of the study, without attempting to reason them out. The total number of participants with the number of those excluded, dropped out or withdrawn from the study should be analysed. Failure to do so may lead to underestimation or overestimation of results.[ 10 ] A summary flowchart containing enrolment data could be created as per the CONSORT statement.[ 5 ] Actual values including the mean with standard deviation/error or median with interquartile range should be reported. Evaluate for completeness – all the variables in the study methodology should be analysed using appropriate statistical tests. Ensure that findings stated in the results are the same in other areas of the article – abstract, tables and figures. Appropriate tables and graphs should be used to provide the results of the study. Assess if the results of the study can be generalised and are useful to our workplace or patient population.

Although significant positive results from the study are more likely to be accepted for publication (publication bias), remember that high rates of falsely inflated results are demonstrated in studies that had flawed methodology (due to improper or lack of appropriate randomisation, allocation concealment, blinding and/or assessing outcomes through statistical modeling). Further, the publication bias towards studies with positive outcome leads to scientific distortions in the body of scientific knowledge.[ 11 , 12 ]

Discussion and conclusion

The discussion is used to account for or reason out the outcomes of the study, including dropouts and any change in methodology, to comment on the external validity of the study and to discuss its limitations. The authors should report their findings in comparison with that previously published in literature, if the study results added new information to the current literature, if it could alter patient management and if the findings need larger studies for further evaluation or confirmation. When concluding, the interpretation should be consistent with the actual findings. Evaluate if the questions in the study hypothesis were adequately addressed and if the conclusions were justified by the actual data. Authors should also provide limitations of their study and constructive suggestions for future research.

Readers may find useful resources on how to constructively read the published literature at the following resources:

• Consolidated Standard for Reporting Trial 2010 for randomised trials – http://www.consort-statement.org
• Sign checklists – http://www.sign.ac.uk/methodology/checklists.html
• BMJ series of articles – http://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications/how-read-paper
• Equator network for health research – http://www.equator-network.org
• Strobe statement for observational studies – http://www.strobe-statement.org/index.php?id=strobe-home
• Care for case reports – http://www.care-statement.org
• PRISMA statement for meta-analytical studies and systematic reviews: http://www.prisma-statement.org
• Agree – http://www.agreetrust.org
• CASP – http://www.casp-uk.net
• http://www.delfini.org .

Critical appraisal of scientific literature is an important skill to be mastered not just by academic medical professionals but also by those involved in clinical practice. Before incorporating changes in the management of their patients, a thorough evaluation of the current or published literature is a necessary step in practicing evidence-based medicine.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

Provide details on what you need help with along with a budget and time limit. Questions are posted anonymously and can be made 100% private.

Studypool matches you to the best tutor to help you with your question. Our tutors are highly qualified and vetted.

Your matched tutor provides personalized help according to your question details. Payment is made only after you have completed your 1-on-1 session and are satisfied with your session.

Module 1: Research Article Appraisal, Part One

User Generated

synzrvfonpx

Health Medical

Description

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ADD REPLAY TO DESIGNATED COLUMN IN THE ATTACHMENT

Instructions: A major skill that is learned in this course is how to critically read and appraise nursing research articles.The purpose for appraising an article is to evaluate the research process followed by the author(s) of the assigned article. This information-intensive, time-intensive process is not learned overnight. To demonstrate your skill at appraising an article, you will complete this open-book short answer assignment.

Here's how you should approach completing this week’s assignment to begin appraising an article:

1.First, do your assigned reading in Gray, Grove, & Sutherland (2017). This will introduce you to the skills you will need for the week.

2.Skim the entire instructor assigned research article that has been posted on Blackboard for you so that you will have an idea of what it is about. Then, for this week, re-read carefully the introduction / literature review /theoretical framework and methods sections of the article again.

3. Print the Research Article Appraisal, Part One Assignment and find the best answer to each question based on your Gray, Grove, & Sutherland (2017) assigned reading for the week and on what you have read in the instructor assigned research article.

4.Some of the questions in the appraisal assignment below will seem unfamiliar to you. Look up key terms from the question in your textbook.Some examples of these terms might be: problem statements, hypotheses, or variables. You can also look in Chapter 18 for an example of a critical appraisal (or critique) of a quantitative research article.

5. Download the Assignment so you can type in your answers. Once completed, upload your Assignment to the assignment link above by the time and date listed on the Course Schedule. Be thoughtful and review the information that has been given to you to complete this assignment.

6. APA will only apply to quotations and citations in the assignment as directed. Again, do not use quotations unless directed in the assignment.

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Explanation & Answer

24/7 Homework Help

Stuck on a homework question? Our verified tutors can answer all questions, from basic  math  to advanced rocket science !

Similar Content

Related tags.

teaching plan personal training health and medical prevention articles nursing theories project health Thyroid disorders poison, GLOMERULONEPHRITIS united states

by Min Jin Lee

Nervous Conditions

by Tsitsi Dangarembga

The Catcher in the Rye

by J. D. Salinger

The Bell Jar

by Sylvia Plath

All the Kings Men

by Robert Penn Warren

Bridge to Terabithia

by Katherine Paterson

by John Hersey

The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

working on a homework question?

Studypool is powered by Microtutoring TM

Copyright © 2024. Studypool Inc.

Studypool is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university.

Ongoing Conversations

Access over 20 million homework documents through the notebank

Get on-demand Q&A homework help from verified tutors

Read 1000s of rich book guides covering popular titles

Sign up with Google

Sign up with Facebook

Already have an account? Login

Login with Google

Login with Facebook

Don't have an account? Sign Up