This document outlines the steps for critically appraising research articles. It recommends beginning by reviewing the title, abstract, keywords, publication information, and author information to assess the article in 10-15 minutes. Next, the methodology, results, and implications should be evaluated. Key aspects to examine include the research ethics, literature search, study limitations, sample, data collection tools, findings relevance, and funding sources. Being able to critically appraise research helps determine if the study is valid, applicable, and conducted properly.

1. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 1
Critical Appraisal
www.tastafe.tas.edu.au

2. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 2
Critical Appraisal of Research
• An important skill to have is to be able to
critically read research articles
• It is not wise to accept research findings
without a critical appraisal
It helps you to determine
• Is the research valid
• Can I apply it to my „population‟
• Was it conducted “properly”

3. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 3
Articles will usually look like this…
• Title
• Abstract
• Key words (not usual in quantitative research
articles)
• Introduction, rationale or background
• Methodology
• Results
• Discussion
• References

4. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 4
Appraisal – the first steps
• The Title
• The Abstract
• Key Words
• Publication Information
• Author Information
• This should be completed in 10-15minutes and you
should be able to get this information from the first page
of the article (and sometimes the
references/bibliography)

5. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 5
The Title
• Should be specific and to the point
• Should show clear relationship to the
content
• Qualitative study titles can often be wordy
and not related to the content
(remembering qualitative is about
subjectivity and is word heavy)

6. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 6
The Abstract
• A summary of the article
• By the end of the abstract, it should be clear if it is of
use to you
• Should be limited to 300 words or less
• Should contain
Why the research was conducted
How the research was conducted
Clear detail on the results or conclusions
• Quantitative research abstracts can be very minimalistic
and obscure using technical grammar and terminology
that is specific to the research
• Qualitative abstracts are more narrative

7. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 7
Key Words
• Five or six words that cover the key
concepts of the research
• Usually straight after the abstract
• Not always included in quantitative
research articles
• Can help in literature searches i.e. use the
keywords to search

8. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 8
Publication Information
• The type and quality of the publication chosen
by the author can quickly inform of the
potential quality of the research
• Nursing research publication in Australia has
only a brief history, however now a large
amount of journals etc to chose from
• Remember websites such as wikipedia can be
authored by anyone

9. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 9
Hierarchies in Publication
Peer Reviewed Journals
• Assessed by one or two experts in the field
of research
• Considerations of the experts
High quality research – is it?
Fits the standards of the journals editorial
board – does it?
Makes a significant contribution to the area or
specialty – does it?

10. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 10
Peer Review Journals in Australia
• Nursing Inquiry
• Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing
• Contemporary Nurse
• Collegian
• Australian Health Review
• and more…
The editorial board members are listed in the journal to
promote credibility and authority – adds weight.

11. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 11
Non-Peer Reviewed
• Submitted research is not subjected to the same level
of critique
• Commonly read by more nurses as they are generally
supplied as part of a subscription to a professional
body
• Research may/may not be high quality
• Examples
Australian Nursing Journal (ANF publication)
JGenca (Gastro-Enterological Nurses College of
Australia)

12. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 12
Author Information
• What are the authors qualifications?
• What are their affiliations?
• Do these suggest credibility?
• Does this increase your confidence in the
research?

13. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 13
Review the References
• Can point to the quality of the research
• Ability to critique the references comes
with being an expert in the particular field
• Questions to ask
How many articles are cited?
Are the references current? (Last 5-10
years)
Are the authors and journals specialised
and relevant to the research?

14. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 14
Where to next…?
• If you have determined that the article is
relevant to your needs, it is now time to
move on to appraisal of the methodology,
results and implications for practice.

15. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 15
Further critique… some things to think about
• Ethics
Where any ethical issues identified?
If so, how were these addressed?
• How extensive was the literature search?
Was it conducted on current literature?
Was it extensive?
Is there a description of how the search was
conducted e.g. search terms?

16. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 16
Ctd…
• Study Limitations
Were any limitations of the research identified
within the article?
Can you identify any limitations that were not
addressed within the article?
• Sample
How was the sample chosen?
Is the sample representative of your population?

17. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 17
And even more…
• Examine the data collection tools, the data
collection process and analysis
Are there any visible flaws?
Was the collection tool reliable?
Is the collection tool shown in the article?
• Are the findings relevant to clinical practice?
• How was funding obtained?
Does the funding source present any ethical
issues?

18. Document Title (Editable via „Slide Master‟) | Page 18
And after all that…
• Are the findings relevant to practice?
• Can the findings change practice?
• Is this research of use to me?