Table 3.

Criteria for classifying papers according to relevance

Relevance	Main criteria	Additional criteria
High	Explicitly mentions and focuses on all three topics (3Cs) of case study, context and complex health interventions	Mentions 2Cs PLUS it: shows depth and explanation of ‘case’; may have theory relevant to context and/or complexity
Partial	Mentions 3Cs but appears to give very little detail	Close reading of methods does not give clear indication of focus or depth
Low	A case study of a complex intervention (2Cs)	The description or the research means there are questions over overall quality or relevance to questions of context, complexity or case study methodology