Overview
Critical appraisal without design-specific criteria produces shallow reviews — all studies rated by the same generic checklist regardless of whether they're RCTs, cohort studies, or qualitative research. An RCT must be appraised for randomization quality, allocation concealment, and blinding. A cohort study must be appraised for confounding control and follow-up completeness. A qualitative study must be appraised for reflexivity, transferability, and rigor of the interpretive process. Applying RCT criteria to qualitative research, or ignoring randomization quality when appraising an RCT, produces meaningless quality ratings.
The Critical Appraisal Framework applies design-specific criteria to each study type, distinguishes internal validity from external validity threats, and produces an evidence quality rating that is defensible in a systematic review.