Table 3. Mean initial individual quality scores assessed by two blinded evaluators on the Goodman scale (lowest = 1, highest = 5). Number of manuscripts is specified when that item did not apply to all manuscripts. Standard deviations ranged from 0.9 to 1.5.
| INITIAL QUALITY SCORES | ||||||||||||
| Group | C | CS | CK | CSK | ALL | |||||||
| G | 1b | Lack of Oversight or Fake | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | |||||
| G | 1c | Organization | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.3 | |||||
| G | 1d | Style | 2.7 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.0 | |||||
| G | 1e | Concise | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | |||||
| I | 2a | Background | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | |||||
| I | 2b | Aims | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | |||||
| MM | 3a | Setting and Source | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | |||||
| MM | 3b | Eligibility Criteria | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | |||||
| MM | 3c | Suitability of the comparison groups | 24 | 2.0 | 21 | 2.3 | 18 | 2.5 | 18 | 2.7 | 81 | 2.3 |
| MM | 4a | Study Design | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 24 | 2.9 | 114 | 2.8 | |||
| MM | 4b | Sample size rationale | 1.2 | 29 | 1.2 | 25 | 1.5 | 24 | 1.3 | 110 | 1.3 | |
| MM | 4c | Masking | 25 | 1.1 | 21 | 1.8 | 21 | 1.3 | 19 | 1.4 | 86 | 1.4 |
| MM | 5a | Major variables | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.0 | |||||
| MM | 5b | Side-effects | 12 | 1.8 | 13 | 1.6 | 7 | 3.1 | 12 | 2.3 | 44 | 2.1 |
| R | 6a | Lost to follow up | 2.2 | 29 | 2.0 | 27 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 113 | 2.2 | ||
| R | 6b | Sample description | 2.6 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.8 | |||||
| R | 6c | Dropouts Description | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 24 | 2.6 | 114 | 2.6 | |||
| R | 7a | Quantitative Methods | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.4 | |||||
| R | 7b | Clear Reporting | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | |||||
| R | 7c | Reporting of Denominators | 2.9 | 3.3 | 27 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 114 | 3.2 | |||
| R | 7d | Effect Size | 26 | 2.3 | 26 | 2.1 | 26 | 2.3 | 22 | 2.4 | 100 | 2.2 |
| R | 7e | Diagnostic tests | 7 | 2.6 | 7 | 2.0 | 6 | 2.7 | 4 | 3.0 | 24 | 2.5 |
| R | 7f | Confidence Intervals | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.9 | |||||
| R | 7g | Balanced between detail and summary | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.7 | |||||
| R | 7h | Dropouts Analisys | 24 | 1.5 | 19 | 1.7 | 16 | 1.4 | 15 | 1.5 | 74 | 1.5 |
| R | 7i | Analisys Multiple Measures | 27 | 2.3 | 24 | 2.4 | 24 | 2.3 | 19 | 2.3 | 94 | 2.4 |
| R | 7j | Report Multiple Measures | 20 | 2.3 | 16 | 2.5 | 17 | 2.4 | 15 | 2.4 | 68 | 2.4 |
| R | 7k | Subgroup Effects | 31 | 2.5 | 29 | 2.5 | 27 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 112 | 2.5 | |
| R | 7l | Figures&Tables | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.2 | |||||
| D | 8a | New Knowledge in its field | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 | |||||
| D | 8b | Other Supporting Evidence | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.8 | |||||
| D | 8c | Limitations of the study | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | |||||
| D | 8d | Generalizing | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.1 | |||||
| D | 8e | Strength and Tone | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.2 | |||||
| O | 9a | Title | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.9 | |||||
| O | 9b | Abstract | 31 | 2.8 | 29 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 113 | 2.8 | ||