For many, but not all, evidence synthesis methodologies, conducting a "quality of research" assessment or "critical appraisal" or "risk of bias assessment" for each included study is a necessary step in the overall effort to be transparent about how each study impacts the overall synthesis. While the language used can be confusing - quality assessment, critical appraisal, and risk of bias are sometimes used interchangeably but do not always mean the same thing - one approach is to use the assessment recommended for the types of studies included in the synthesis project. Even evidence synthesis projects themselves (e.g., systematic reviews) have a specific assessment tool. For some more in-depth discipline-agnostic reading about critical appraisal and its value, see Chapters 4-6 of the 2025 publication, Critical Appraisal Practice: Systematic Reviews.
The links below all offer an assortment of assessment tools relevant to the study types included in the synthesis project. Some tools will be covered in more than one list.
While many of these assessments are for use in biomedical evidence syntheses, it may be useful to review the resources in the "Methodological guidance" module of Step 2. Determine Evidence Synthesis Method to see if any specific assessment is recommended for various disciplinary approaches to evidence synthesis.
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