Integrative Review Capstone Toolkit

The purpose of the quality appraisal phase is to assess the quality or internal validity of the studies identified for inclusion in the integrative review.

Guidance

For published guidance about this phase, also see:

• Toronto & Remington, Chapter 4
  • Remington, R. (2020). Quality appraisal. In C. E. Toronto & R. Remington (Eds.), A Step-by-Step Guide to Conducting an Integrative Review (pp. 45–55). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37504-1_4
• Whittemore & Knafl, "Data evaluation stage" (p. 549-550)
  • Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546-553.

Foundational Skills & Knowledge Required

To conduct critical appraisal effectively, you'll need to understand:

• how to read a study 
• features of different study designs
• common sources of bias in studies and the concept of internal validity
• the relationship between methodological quality and 'levels of evidence'/evidence hierarchy

Planning Questions to Consider

• Based on the types of literature that is eligible to include in your review, what appraisal tool(s) will you use to assess their quality?
• After appraisal, will you exclude studies that exhibit poor methodological quality?

Core Activities

As you move through this phase, you will be:

• selecting and piloting study appraisal tools
• applying appropriate critical appraisal tools to included papers

Goals & Outcomes

When this phase is complete, you should have:

• a quantitative or qualitative assessment of the methodological rigor associated with each paper included in the review

When you write up your review paper, the following information from this phase will be important to include

• which quality appraisal tool(s) were used and how they were applied
• numerical or qualitative ratings of the quality of the evidence you located