Area 1: Describe the evidence presented in the paper you selected. Specifically address the following questions: -What was the exposure or intervention? -What was the outcome? -What was the study...

Area 1:


Describe the evidence presented in the paper you selected. Specifically address the following questions:
-What was the exposure or intervention?
-What was the outcome?
-What was the study design?
-What was the study population?
-What were the main findings?



Area 2:


To what extent can the observed association between the exposure and outcome be attributed to non-causal explanations? Consider the following questions in your critique:
-Are the results likely to be affected by selection and/or measurement bias?
-Are the results likely to be affected by confounding?
-Are the results likely to be affected by chance variation?


Area  3:


Do you think there is evidence of a causal association between the exposure and the outcome? This question relates to the internal validity of the study. Consider the following questions in your critique:
-Is there a temporal relationship between exposure and outcome?
-Is there a strong relationship between the exposure and the outcome?

-Is there a dose-response relationship between exposure and the outcome?
-Are the results consistent within the study?



Do the findings accord with other evidence? Specifically:

-Are the findings consistent with other evidence, particularly evidence from studies of similar or more powerful study design?

-Are the results plausible in terms of a biological mechanism?


Area 4:


Are the findings externally valid, that is generalisable? Specifically:
-Can the findings be applied to the source population from which the study population was derived?
-Can the study results be applied to other relevant populations?