systematic and scoping reviews

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?

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