Evaluating information

2. Critical appraisal: Medicine and related disciplines

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Critical appraisal is the process of assessing the validity of a clinical study. When appraising the content of an article, we look at the methodology and the design of the study, as well as the way results have been presented, discussed and interpreted.

Over the years researchers have come together to define standards for this process of evaluation. As a result of this collaboration there are now effective tools and checklists that can help us in carrying out critical appraisals on a variety of study types.

Critical appraisal is a vital step in the evidence-based healthcare process and ensures that any research output you are referring to (both primary and secondary) is valid and useful to your own research.

You can find more about critical appraisal  in the additional readings at the end of this section.

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