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Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences

Basic appraisal: CRAAP test

Not all information is created equal!

Use the CRAAP test to evaluate the relevance and quality of the information or evidence you have found.

Currency- how timely is the information? Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?

Relevance- does the information answer your question and make sense in your context?*

Authority- is the source of your information trustworthy? Do the author, journal, publisher or institution have appropriate credentials? Is the article peer reviewed?

Accuracy- is the content reliable, truthful, and correct? Is it evidence-based? Is there a list of references?

Purpose- what is the reason the information exists? Is there potential for bias? Are they selling something?

Intermediate appraisal: Generic appraisal tools

Even studies published in high impact journals can be poorly done. Authors can reach conclusions not supported by the data. Studies can be biased- did the authors do anything to mitigate this?

You need to assess whether the study is relevant to your patients and your context.

Critical appraisal is a systematic way of assessing the quality and relevance of a given research article.

  • Focus is on the methodology section instead of abstract/conclusion.
  • Is study well conducted/reported?
  • What are the limitations? i.e. small sample size, not randomized etc.
  • Is bias likely?
  • Are the results relevant to your patient(s)/practice/environment?
  • Different criteria are used for different study types.

Advanced appraisal: Methodology specific tools

Even studies published in high impact journals can be poorly done. Authors can reach conclusions not supported by the data. Studies can be biased- did the authors do anything to mitigate this?

You need to assess whether the study is relevant to your patients and your context.

Critical appraisal is a systematic way of assessing the quality and relevance of a given research article.

  • Focus is on the methodology section instead of abstract/conclusion.
  • Is study well conducted/reported?
  • What are the limitations? i.e. small sample size, not randomized etc.
  • Is bias likely?
  • Are the results relevant to your patient(s)/practice/environment?
  • Different criteria are used for different study types.

Readings:

 

Critical appraisal frameworks:

Additional critical appraisal tools can be found on the Knowledge synthesis guide.

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Francesca Frati
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Subjects: Dentistry, Medicine

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