Once you have identified relevant literature, the next step is to assess whether the evidence aligns with your research question and meets the criteria for quality and relevance. A key part of this process is determining what type of study design would best answer your specific clinical or research question. For example, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are often considered the gold standard for evaluating treatment effectiveness, while qualitative studies may provide richer insight into patient experiences or behaviors.
Most academic databases offer filtering options to help you narrow your results to particular types of studies, such as systematic reviews, cohort studies, or case-control studies. Using these filters strategically can save time and improve the quality of evidence you incorporate into your work. It’s important to critically evaluate each study by examining aspects such as methodology, sample size, potential biases, and the applicability of findings to your patient population or research focus.
In the following section, you will find an overview of common study designs and their strengths and limitations to help guide your appraisal of the literature.
As you assess the research literature, it’s important to consider not only the study design but also the research approach: qualitative or quantitative.
Uses words to describe human behaviors. It answers a wide variety of questions related to human responses to actual or potential health problems. The purpose of qualitative research is to describe, explore and explain the health-related phenomena being studied.
Uses numbers to obtain precise measurements that can later be statistically analyzed. Many quantitative studies test hypotheses. It follows a systematic, subjective approach to examine the relationship between variables with the primary goal being to analyze and represent that relationship mathematically through statistical analysis. This is the type of research approach most commonly used in scientific research problems.
When reading articles and determining which studies to use, appraise the strength and quality of the research studies using the John Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practices which evaluate the validity and reliability thru various levels of evidence. See appendix C for full list.
Below you will find tools from Johns Hopkins University, that would help you critically asses studies: