University of British Columbia Science Writing (2013) Sources.
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0207D87De7I
(Accessed: 18 November 2021).
Critical Appraisal is the process of assessing and interpreting evidence by systematically considering its validity, results and relevance.
The following resources provide a useful introduction to this process:
Critical appraisal is the process of evaluating and interpreting evidence by systematically considering its validity, results and relevance. The following resources should provide a useful introduction to this process:
Articles about critiquing research:
Doing a Systematic Review: A student's guide 3rd edn. by
Completing a systematic review and unsure where to start or what path to take? Set out on your journey confidently with this practical guide written by a team of experienced academics. With a friendly, accessible style, the book covers every step of the systematic review process, from planning to dissemination. This book will help you to: * Work with qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods data* Understand the how-to of systematic reviews with a range of real-life examples and case studies* Learn from students who have been in your shoes with FAQs taken from actual supervision meetings. This book will not only support you to overcome common challenges and pitfalls, it will give you the knowledge and skills to produce an excellent review and you might even enjoy the journey!Alongside updated examples and case studies, this edition also includes two new chapters to help you write and register your review protocol and understand and synthesise data from correlational and experimental studies. The book is accompanied by an online guide for teaching, including videos, example documents, further reading, software recommendations and weblinks.
Doing a Systematic Review by
Written in a friendly, accessible style by an expert team of authors with years of experience in both conducting and supervising systematic reviews, this is the perfect guide to using systematic review methodology in a research project. It provides clear answers to all review-related questions, including: How do I formulate an appropriate review question? What's the best way to manage my review? How do I develop my search strategy? How do I get started with data extraction? How do I assess the quality of a study? How can I analyse and synthesize my data? How should I write up the discussion and conclusion sections of my dissertation or thesis?
An Introduction to Systematic Reviews by
Focused on actively using systematic review as method, An Introduction to Systematic Reviews provides clear, step-by-step advice on the logic and processes of systematic reviewing. Stressing the importance of precision and accuracy, this practical text carefully balances a need for insightful theory with real-world pragmatism. The Second Edition features a new chapter on statistical synthesis and introduces a wide range of cutting-edge approaches to research synthesis, including text mining, living reviews, and new ideas in mixed methods reviews, such as qualitative comparative analysis. Packed with examples from across the social sciences, this book helps students and researchers alike in turning systematic reviews into recommendations for policy and practice. Available with Perusall--an eBook that makes it easier to prepare for class Perusall is an award-winning eBook platform featuring social annotation tools that allow students and instructors to collaboratively mark up and discuss their SAGE textbook. Backed by research and supported by technological innovations developed at Harvard University, this process of learning through collaborative annotation keeps your students engaged and makes teaching easier and more effective. Learn more.
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions by
The revised edition of the Handbook offers the only guide on how to conduct, report and maintain a Cochrane Review 
 The second edition of The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains essential guidance for preparing and maintaining Cochrane Reviews of the effects of health interventions. Designed to be an accessible resource, the Handbook will also be of interest to anyone undertaking systematic reviews of interventions outside Cochrane, and many of the principles and methods presented are appropriate for systematic reviews addressing research questions other than effects of interventions. This fully updated edition contains extensive new material on systematic review methods addressing a wide-range of topics including network meta-analysis, equity, complex interventions, narrative synthesis, and automation. Also new to this edition, integrated throughout the Handbook, is the set of standards Cochrane expects its reviews to meet. Written for review authors, editors, trainers and others with an interest in Cochrane Reviews, the second edition of The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions continues to offer an invaluable resource for understanding the role of systematic reviews, critically appraising health research studies and conducting reviews.
Introduction to Research Methods and Data Analysis in the Health Sciences by
Whilst the 'health sciences' are a broad and diverse area, and includes public health, primary care, health psychology, psychiatry and epidemiology, the research methods and data analysis skills required to analyse them are very similar. Moreover, the ability to appraise and conduct research is emphasised within the health sciences - and students are expected increasingly to do both. Introduction to Research Methods and Data Analysis in the Health Sciences presents a balanced blend of quantitative research methods, and the most widely used techniques for collecting and analysing data in the health sciences. Highly practical in nature, the book guides you, step-by-step, through the research process, and covers both the consumption and the production of research and data analysis. Divided into the three strands that run throughout quantitative health science research - critical numbers, critical appraisal of existing research, and conducting new research - this accessible textbook introduces: Descriptive statistics Measures of association for categorical and continuous outcomes Confounding, effect modification, mediation and causal inference Critical appraisal Searching the literature Randomised controlled trials Cohort studies Case-control studies Research ethics and data management Dissemination and publication Linear regression for continuous outcomes Logistic regression for categorical outcomes. A dedicated companion website offers additional teaching and learning resources for students and lecturers, including screenshots, R programming code, and extensive self-assessment material linked to the book's exercises and activities. Clear and accessible with a comprehensive coverage to equip the reader with an understanding of the research process and the practical skills they need to collect and analyse data, it is essential reading for all undergraduate and postgraduate students in the health and medical sciences.
Systematic Reviews:
SRs are used in evidence based medicine to ensure that practitioners have the best available evidence in order to decide how to treat patients. SRs are now applied to other disciplines.
Within the health discipline there may be lots of research being carried out, but not necessarily a summary of what has been done. There is a need to bring the research together to see if there is consensus of evidence from trials. Therefore a systematic approach is used to ensure that all research is found and evaluated.
•Clearly defined research question
•Aims for comprehensive, exhaustive searching
•Transparent methods – SR are explicit about how the search has been carried out i.e. transparent about method i.e. same filters, terms etc so that search can be replicated. e.g. only looks at research that looks at experimental trials in England etc.
•Pre-specified eligibility criteria to determine what’s included
•May include a meta-analysis – statistical analysis of the combined results of quantitative studies i.e. pool all the data from different studies to get an overall answer.
•Seeks to systematically search for, appraise and synthesise research evidence, often adhering to guidelines on how to conduct a review (e.g. PRISMA)
This is an updated version of the original PRISMA flow generator. Includes a downloadable PDF version.
Contains both PDF & Word versions. From PRISMA.
The Literature Review by
The essential guide--updated, expanded, and easier to use than ever. Creating a successful literature review can be a daunting task, which is why so many researchers have relied on previous editions of this book to make the process more manageable. Using the six-step model, you'll work seamlessly to narrow your research topic, focus your literature search, negotiate the myriad of books, periodicals, and reports about your topic--and, of course, write the review. Updated, expanded, and reorganized to improve ease of use, the fourth edition of this bestselling handbook includes: New and improved graphics ideal for visualizing the process More explanations and tips, especially for writing in the early stages An expanded range of learning tools Additional reflection sections to direct metacognitive activities Four new reference supplements This pioneering book has provided countless graduate students and researchers with a road map to success. Its model takes you through the logical progression needed for producing a quality literature review--while taking the mystery out of the process.
Succeeding in Literature Reviews and Research Project Plans for Nursing Students by
Now in it′s fourth edition and thoroughly updated to ensure all content is mapped to the new 2018 NMC standards, this book is a practical and readable guide to undertaking a research project plan or a literature review for final year assessment. The book guides readers from start to finish, beginning with choosing a nursing topic and developing questions about it, then accessing and critically reviewing research literature, considering ethical issues, proposing research where applicable, and finally, writing up and completing the literature review or research proposal. The authors also explore how to translate evidence into practice and how this can improve day to day decision-making, as well as feeding into assessments.
Research design: qualitative, quantitative & mixed methods approaches by 
A Guide to Research Methodology by
Research Methodology is meant to provide a broad guideline to facilitate and steer the whole of a research activity in any discipline. With the ambit and amount of research increasing by the day, the need for Research Methodology is being widely appreciated. Against this backdrop, we notice the dearth of well-written books on the subject. A Guide to Research Methodology attempts a balance between the generic approach to research in any domain and the wide array of research methods which are to be used in carrying out different tasks in any research. Discussions on these research methods appropriate in various disciplines have focused on the research tasks, keeping in mind the fact that a single such task like a comparison among alternatives may involve several methods from seemingly distinct areas. Unique features of this volume, as will be evident to a discerning reader, include: A detailed discussion on problem areas for research in several domains An illustrative and ampliated list of research problems drawn from different disciplines which can be pursued by interested research workers A comprehensive delineation of Research Design supported by illustrations An elaborate engagement with models with a note on model uncertainty Focus on recent and emerging models, methods and techniques A novel treatment of data analysis where the nature of data and the objective(s) of analysis justify drawing upon a variety of techniques for analysis This book will serve the purpose of a pre-PhD or a Master-level course-work for students of any discipline with a basic knowledge of quantitative analysis. In fact, anyone aspiring to take up meaningful research work will find the content useful and interesting.
Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design by
In the Fourth Edition of this bestselling book, John W Creswell and new co-author Cheryl N Poth explore the philosophical underpinnings, history and key elements of each of five qualitative inquiry traditions: narrative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and case study - putting them side by side, so that we can see the differences. The authors relate research designs to each of the traditions of enquiry. They compare theoretical frameworks and ways to employ standards of quality, as well as strategies for writing introductions to studies, collecting data, analyzing data, writing a narrative and verifying results. New in this edition: Updated materials on each tradition More on interpretive frameworks and ethics More visual depictions of the five approaches Two new topical articles in Chapter 5, reproduced in full in the appendices.
Evaluating Research by
The Second Edition offers readers a straightforward presentation of the key components of research and the skills they need to read and evaluate it. The book covers a range of research that students are most likely to encounter, from experimental to field research, and archival to evaluation research. The Second Edition features updated examples of research across disciplines, new and updated content on qualitative research and conceptual statistics, and a streamlined organization that better aligns with the order of information in a research article.
Thanks to my colleague Linda Pearson for creating this video and the one on using keywords.
Reaserch Methods article series form the journal The Veterinary Nurse
