Critical appraisal tools and checklists provide a systematic approach to the appraisal process. They prompt the reader to inquire about specific aspects of the study they are evaluating.

Which checklist should I use?

There are many different critical appraisal checklists. Choose the one that best fits the study design you are appraising. The list below includes widely accepted tools of typical study designs, disciplines and other forms of evidence used in health research and clinical practice. 
 

• Down and Black
  One of the most widely used tools for assessment of both randomized and non-randomized studies.
• EPHPP tool for quantitative studies
  Designed to appraise observational studies (mixed designs). Developed by the Effective Public Healthcare Panacea Project Canada.
• Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT)
  Designed for the appraisal stage of systematic mixed studies reviews that include qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies.
• PROTECT Checklist
  Risk of bias checklist applicable to randomized trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews. Developed and validated to be used for systematic reviews focusing on drug adverse events.
   

• AMSTAR 2 
  A 16-question measurement tool to assess the methodological quality of systematic review that include randomised or non-randomised studies of healthcare interventions, or both.
• ROBIS Tool 
  Assesses the risk of bias specifically in systematic reviews (rather than in primary studies).
• CASP Systematic Review Checklist
  Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs. In pdf, word or online versions. 
• JBI Systematic Reviews Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs. 
• CEBM Systematic Reviews Critical Appraisal Sheet
  Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs in a range of languages. 
• SIGN Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Checklist
  Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) contains tools for a variety of study designs.
   

• AGREE II instrument
  The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) Instrument evaluates the process of practice guideline development and the quality of reporting. Comprises 23 items across 6 quality domains.
   

• Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) 2.0
  Templates are tailored to randomized parallel-group trials, cluster-randomized trials and cross-over trials. 
• Jadad Scale
  Simple tool to appraise based on only three domains: random assignment, double blinding, and patient withdrawal/dropout.
• PEDro Scale
  Developed by Physiotherapy Evidence Database for assessing clinical trials across various fields of study (not just physio).
• Down and Black
  One of the most widely used tools for assessment of both randomized and non-randomized studies.
• CASP RCT Standard Checklist
  Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs. In pdf, word or online versions. 
• JBI RCT Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs. 
• CEBM RCT Critical Appraisal Sheet
  Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs in a range of languages. 
• SIGN RCT Checklist
  Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) contains tools for a variety of study designs.
   

• Cochrane ROBINS-I
  Risk Of Bias tool in non-randomized Studies - of interventions
• ROBINS-E
  Risk Of Bias tool in non-randomized Studies - of exposures
• CASP Cohort Study Checklist
  Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs. In pdf, word or online versions. 
• JBI Cohort Studies Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs. 
• SIGN Cohort Studies Checklist
  Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) contains tools for a variety of study designs.
• STROBE Cohort Studies Checklists
  Reporting of observational studies in epidemiology. Includes a specific cohort study checklist & a combined cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies checklist.
   

• CASP Case Control Study Checklist
  Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs. In pdf, word or online versions. 
• JBI Case Control Studies Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs. 
• SIGN Case-Control Studies Checklist
  Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) contains tools for a variety of study designs.
• STROBE Case Control Studies Checklists
  Reporting of observational studies in epidemiology. Includes a specific case control study checklist & a combined cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies checklist.
• The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for Case Control Studies 
  Designed by Australian and Canadian universities to assess non-randomised studies. Evaluation of the NOS tool is currently in progress.
   

• STROBE Cross-Sectional Studies Checklists
  Reporting of observational studies in epidemiology. Includes a specific cross-sectional study checklist & a combined cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies checklist.
   

• JBI Case Series Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs.
• JBI Case Report Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs.
   

• QUADAS-2
  Developed by Bristol Medical School to evaluate the risk of bias and applicability of primary diagnostic accuracy studies.
• CASP Diagnostic Study Checklist
  Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs. In pdf, word or online versions. 
• JBI Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs. 
• SIGN Diagnostic Studies Checklist
  Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) contains tools for a variety of study designs.
   

• CEMB Prognosis Critical Appraisal Sheet
  Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs in a range of languages.
• QUAPAS - Quality Assessment of Prognostic Accuracy Studies
  Risk of bias is judged across 5 domains: participants, index test, outcome, flow and timing, and analysis. Contact Monash Health Library to request access to this tool. 
   

• CASP Qualitative Studies Checklist
  Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs. In pdf, word or online versions. 
• JBI Qualitative Research Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs. 
• CEMB Qualitative Studies Appraisal Sheet
  Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs in a range of languages.
• Rosalind Franklin-Qualitative Research Appraisal Instrument (RF-QRA) - See Table 3
  Designed as a simple and quick instrument used by clinicians with varying knowledge of qualitative research. 
• Prompts for appraising qualitative research
  A paper with minimal set of prompts which have been designed for qualitative research but which are methodology neutral.
   

• CASP Economic Evaluation Checklist
  Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) contains tools for a wide variety of study designs. In pdf, word or online versions. 
• JBI Economic Evaluations Critical Appraisal Tool
  Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) contains tools for a very wide variety of study designs. 
• SIGN Economic Studies Checklist
  Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) contains tools for a variety of study design
• CHEC List: Consensus Health Economic Criteria
• Use to assess the quality of economic evaluations in systematic reviews. Contact Monash Health Library to request access to this tool. 

 

• AACODS Checklist
  Designed by Flinders Uni for appraisal across six domains: authority, accuracy, coverage, objectivity, date and significance.
• STROBE Conference Abstracts Checklists
  Reporting observational studies in a conference abstract. Also checklists for cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. 
   

These repositories contain additional critical appraisal tools and checklist that may be suited to your needs:

• Latitude
  Validity assessment tools specifically for evidence synthesis. Search for a tool by study design. 
• SR Toolkit
  Select the quality assessment checkbox to load 70 appraisal tools. The toolkit can also be used for searching, screening, citation management & data synthesis tools.  
• JBI (Joanna Briggs Institute)
  Contains 15 critical appraisal tools of typical study designs as well as prevalence studies, quasi- experimental, expert opinion, policy etc. 
• CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Program)
  Contains typical study designs with the addition of a Clinical Prediction Rule checklist.
• CEMB (Centre for Evidence Based Medicine)
  Contains typical study designs with the addition of a IDP (Individual Patient Data) review checklist. Tools translated across seven languages.
• BMJ Critical Appraisal Guidance
  Offers some information and guidance on tricky critical appraisal scenarios such as multiple armed RCTs, diagnostic studies and multiple SR on the same question.