Table 2.

Series of quality indicators

Quality Indicator	Process
Research question	Assess for clarity
Study subjects	Note characteristics of study groups including number, demographics and homogeneity
Data collection	What types of data have been collected and does this fit the research question
Bias	Have confounding factors and biases been addressed
Results	Appropriateness of statistical analysis
Conclusions	Relation between conclusions and data presented
Reproducibility	What factors limit the study being repeated in another context
Study design	Prospective/retrospective
Ethical issues	Have ethical issues been adequately addressed
Data reliability and context	How do these findings fit with other sources

Adapted from the series of 11 quality indicators developed by Buckley et al.5