Once screening (article selection) is completed, the Quality Assessment part of the systematic review process may begin. Quality assessment may be performed before data extraction, or after.
Since systematic reviews rely on data from other studies, the evidence in a systematic review is only as good as, or as free from bias as, the included studies. Therefore, the methodological quality of each individual study included in a systematic review should be assessed. This process involves appraising, judging, and documenting potential risks of bias.
The quality assessment tool is based upon the types of studies which will be included in your systematic review.
We recommend that you use Covidence to conduct quality assessment.
For help in deciding which quality assessment tool(s) to use, download the spreadsheet named, "Repository of Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tools OSF" linked from this OSF Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository and use the Study Type/Intended Use dropdown menu in column F to find recommended tools based on study design.
The NIH Office of Management website also lists a variety of quality assessment tools if you need guidance on which assessment tool to use, and there are suggestions below as well.
For help in deciding which quality assessment tool(s) to use, download the spreadsheet named, "Repository of Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tools OSF" linked from this OSF Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository and use the Study Type/Intended Use dropdown menu in column F to find recommended tools based on study design.
The NIH Office of Management website also lists a variety of quality assessment tools if you need guidance on which assessment tool to use, and there are suggestions below as well.
For help in deciding which quality assessment tool(s) to use, download the spreadsheet named, "Repository of Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tools OSF" linked from this OSF Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository and use the Study Type/Intended Use dropdown menu in column F to find recommended tools based on study design.
The NIH Office of Management website also lists a variety of quality assessment tools if you need guidance on which assessment tool to use, and there are suggestions below as well.
For help in deciding which quality assessment tool(s) to use, download the spreadsheet named, "Repository of Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tools OSF" linked from this OSF Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository and use the Study Type/Intended Use dropdown menu in column F to find recommended tools based on study design.
The NIH Office of Management website also lists a variety of quality assessment tools if you need guidance on which assessment tool to use, and there are suggestions below as well.
Diagnostic Studies:
Mixed Methods:
Qualitative Studies:
Cross-Sectional Studies: