LibGuides: Drug Research: Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Primary Sources
Evaluating Tertiary and Informational Sources

CASP UK Critical Appraisal Skills Programme
Includes checklists for: Randomized Controlled Trials, Systematic Review, Cohort Study, Case Control Study, Qualitative Research, Economic Evaluations, Diagnostic Test, Prediction Rule
CEBM Centre for Evidenced Based Medicine
This suite of critical appraisal tools from CEBM in Oxford, England provides sheets for evaluating systematic reviews, diagnostic studies, Randomized Controlled Trials, Prognosis studies, PICO Critical Appraisal Sheet.
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews
The Cochrane Handbook provides guidance for teams conducting a systematic review. Go to Chapter 8 for Assessing Risk of Bias and Chapter 9 for Analysing Data
FRISBE
From Duke University Medical Center Library, this checklist uses Follow-up, Randomization, Intention-to-Treat, Similar Baseline Characteristics of Patients, Blinding, and Equal Treatment to identify risk of bias when appraising a studies' validity.
GRADE Working Group
"The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (short GRADE) Working Group began in the year 2000 as an informal collaboration of people with an interest in addressing the shortcomings of present grading systems in health care. The working group has developed a common, sensible and transparent approach to grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendations."
EQUATOR Network
The EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network is an international initiative that seeks to improve the reliability and value of published health research literature by promoting transparent and accurate reporting and wider use of robust reporting guidelines. They provide a list of various standards for reporting in systematic reviews.

Information found on the Internet can range from deliberate misinformation to primary literature found in open access professional journals. It is Usually easy to identify blatant inaccuracies, but some web sites look official and are not. Some official web sites represent a biased perspective. The same principles can be used when evaluating other tertiary sources, such as books and trade magazines.

Source: University of Wyoming Libraries

Levels of Evidence Pyramid

From Library of Health Sciences-Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago

Meta Analysis

Source: How to use an Article Reporting a Multiple Treatment Comparison Meta-analysis