Paper critique
⦁ What is the hypothesis being tested?
⦁ What is the disease or health outcome that is being studied?
⦁ How is the disease or health outcome assessed?
⦁ What is the exposure of primary interest in this study?
⦁ How is exposure measured in this study?
⦁ What do the authors say the study design is?
⦁ What do you say the study design is?
⦁ List the details of the methodology that support your answer to question 3.
⦁ Explain any reasons why this study design would or would not be appropriate to address this research question.
⦁ How does this study design compare to other designs that might be used to address this research question?
⦁ List all inclusion and exclusion criteria for study subjects. [HINT: include each in only 1 list – i.e. if you put “age 20-25” in the inclusion list don’t repeat it as “not age 20-25” in the exclusion list. [HINT: if they used matching list the variables matched on]
⦁ What is the target population?
⦁ How were the study subjects identified or located?
⦁ How were subjects invited to participate in the study?
⦁ What measures of association and indicators of statistical significance do the authors present? Choose all that apply.
⦁ Select ONE potential source of bias in this study.
⦁ How does the bias you selected in question 15 operate in this study?
⦁ Identify cells in the 2×2 that will have more people in them than they should because of the bias you selected in question 15. [If the bias could cause different cells to increase under different scenarios, choose each of them.]
⦁ Identify cells in the 2×2 that will have fewer people in them than they should because of the bias you selected in question 15. Choose all that apply. [If the bias could cause different cells to decrease under different scenarios, choose each of them.]
⦁ How will the bias named in question 15 affect the measure of association (the relative risk or odds ratio)?
⦁ Do you have any comments on or explanations of your answers to questions 17 – 19?
⦁ What do the authors say about the bias you chose in question 15?
⦁ What were the results of the study?
⦁ List the strengths of the study.
⦁ List the weaknesses of the study.
⦁ Do you agree with the authors’ conclusions?
