crtiical appraisal
the following are points to consider when conducting a critical appraisal.
- assess risk of bias
- assess the validity of the study
- is the journal article published in a peer reviewed journal
- watch for predatory journals
- is the methodology valid?
what is risk of bias?
risk of bias
- systematic error or deviation from the truth
- different types of bias: detection, perception, selection, etc.
- detection bias - may overestimate or underestimate the size of the effect
- perception bias - researchers can make assumptions about their research subjects
- selection bias - occurs when participants in the study differ systematically from the population of interest
- catalogue of bias - an annotated catalogue of types of bias in research
how do you ensure that there is no risk of bias?
- risk of bias tools
- use at least two reviewers