Checklist for the evaluation of research articles.

Critical reviews of biomedical and health research literature indicate that a substantial proportion of articles contain sufficient statistical and/or methodological mistakes to cast doubts on the stated conclusions. A checklist was developed to assist physicians and other health care professionals in posing appropriate questions when reading or reviewing research articles. The checklist covers four study designs, experimental or quasi-experimental designs, survey or cross-sectional studies, retrospective medical record reviews and case control studies.