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How to Critically Review an Article

How to Critically Review an Article. April 2012 Singh M SETPRAS www.setpras.org. Learning Objectives. Understand what a critical review is Understand the different types of articles Be able to perform a critical review of a published article. Introduction.

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How to Critically Review an Article

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  1. How to Critically Review an Article April 2012 Singh M SETPRAS www.setpras.org

  2. Learning Objectives • Understand what a critical review is • Understand the different types of articles • Be able to perform a critical review of a published article

  3. Introduction • A critical review involves understanding, evaluating and then analysing all aspects of an article • The structure of an article is broadly similar, although it is worth considering the different types of articles commonly published

  4. Introduction • Article types: • Original research article • This category includes studies and are what most people think of when they talk about a scientific article • Usually up to 3000 words in length • Typically, anywhere from 5-50 references, depending on subject • Review article • This is a comprehensive review on a particular subject. It summarises available evidence and presents information in a balanced way • Usually up to 5000 words in length • Typically, anywhere from 10-100 reference, depending on subject • Case report • These are short articles that demonstrate an interesting aspect of a case, illustrated by an example • Usually up to 1500 words • Typically, anywhere from 3-10 references

  5. Introduction • Scientific articles: • Most follow same basic pattern: • Abstract • Introduction • Methods • Results • Discussion • References • (Figures and Tables, if relevant)

  6. Critical Appraisal • Stages of critical appraisal: • 1) Read and re-read the article • 2) Understand what was done and why • 3) Analyse the results and discussion • 4) Ask questions about the information presented

  7. Critical Appraisal • Questions to be asking yourself about the article are best structured in the same way as the article • Initially it is best to ask some general questions • Then look at more detail into what they did and how and why

  8. Critical Appraisal • The Journal • 1) What journal was it published in? • 2) Why this journal? Is it appropriate for the subject of the article? • 3) Is the journal peer-reviewed? • 4) What is the journal impact factor?

  9. Critical Appraisal • The Authors • 1) How many authors are there? • 2) Are they known for work in this field? • 3) Which institution do they work in? • 4) What is that institution known for? • 5) Does it produce a lot of research publications?

  10. Critical Appraisal • The Article • 1) What kind of article is it? • 2) Was the article interesting? • 3) Did the article provide new, previously unknown information? • 4) Was the article well presented?

  11. Critical Appraisal • Specific analysis of a scientific article: • Title, Introduction and Abstract: • 1) Is the title of the article suitable for what was done? • 2) Does the abstract give an accurate summary of the article? • 3) Were the aims and objectives of the study clearly outlined? • 4) Did the introduction provide enough information as to what has led to this study? • 5) Was the study well designed to be able to answer the aims and objectives?

  12. Critical Appraisal • Materials and Methods: • 1) Are the methods used appropriate? • 2) Was the population looked at correct? • 3) Were interventions randomised? • 4) Were there any controls? • 5) Are the demographics, inclusion and exclusion criteria defined? • 6) Were there sufficient numbers to be able to answer the research question?

  13. Critical Appraisal • Results: • 1) Were the results well presented? • 2) Were all results provided or were some excluded? • 3) Are the results presented in a way to be able to answer the original research questions? • 4) Were the results presented in an easy to comprehend way? E.g. figures, tables etc. • 5) Are the results valid?

  14. Critical Appraisal • Statistics: • 1) Were the statistical tests used appropriate? • 2) Have they performed statistical tests on the correct results?

  15. Critical Appraisal • Discussion: • 1) Were all the results discussed? • 2) Were the findings related to the original hypothesis? • 3) Were the author’s interpretations of the results correct? • 4) Did the authors discuss the drawbacks/limitations of the study? • 5) Do you agree with their conclusions?

  16. Critical Appraisal • References: • 1) Were there an appropriate number of references? • 2) Were the references up to date? • 3) Were the references used appropriately within the article? • 4) Have the authors self-referenced?

  17. Critical Appraisal • Other: • 1) Were any conflicts of interest declared? • 2) Were any sources of funding declared?

  18. Conclusions • When critically reviewing an article there are many questions to be asked • Asking these questions will help provide a better understanding of the article and its results • This is a skill useful at all levels of training • We hope you will consider submitting critical reviews of articles you may have recently read, please see our submissions page for further details

  19. Further Information • http://www.setpras.org/critical-reviews.html • http://www.setpras.org/submit.html • submissions@setpras.org

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