Health Library

Analyse This - from Learn Higher, free online tutorial to help students learn how to analyse research data.

Bandolier Glossary - for help with terminology.

Bandolier Learning Zone - here you will find downloaded leaflets on a range of topics related to evidence-based medicine.

CASP - Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Here you will find a number of toolkits that can be used to help you to critically appraise a range of different types of research.

Cochrane Library Glossary - glossary including terms relating to research and critical appraisal.

How to Read Health News - an article from Alicia White via the “behind the headlines“ website to help you make sense of news stories about health-related issues.

For information sources supplying reviews please see the Literature Searching Sites page.

BMJ Qualitative Research Topic - a collection of articles published in the BMJ focusing on the qualitative research methodologies and critical appraisal of the papers.

CASP - the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) provided by the NHS Public Health Resource Unit, is a key tool for evaluating research. It's resource section pinpoints questions to consider when appraising different types research articles.

CEBM - Centre for Evidence Based Medicine. Major resource for tools, aids and documentation for evidence based teaching and practice.

CHAIN - Contact Help Advice Information Network for Effective Health Care. Contact database for health care professionals interested in clinical effectiveness and evidence based health care. Aimed at health care professionals, teachers, managers, librarians, specialists, researchers and other professionals.

Cochrane Library Glossary - glossary including terms relating to research and critical appraisal.

Discern - questionnaire / tool to help you to assess the quality of information about treatments, please follow the instructions of the website.

EMCDDA best practice portal - EU drugs agency portal to a range of resources covering drug related prevention, treatment, harm reduction and social re-integration. Split into four sections looking at intervention efficacy, tools for evaluating practice, standards and guidelines and examples of evaluated practices.

Evidence-based practice checklists - downloadable checklists, developed by Glasgow University, General Practice and Primary Care Department. These are designed to help you ask the appropriate questions when examining different research methodologies.

Evidence based practice for Public Health - this website is a result of a project run by the Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, which assessed the models of evidence based practice when applied to Public Health.

Evidence-based Practice Workbook - eBook available via NHS Athens or Keele username / password.

Formulating the Evidence Based Practice Question: A review of the frameworks (2011)  - article in Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (2011), 6.2, pg 75-80

GATE frame - critical appraisal with pictures - article from BMJ introducing the GATE frame to help researches critically appraise the validity of research papers - NHS Athens or Keele username / password required for full-text.

NNT - Numbers Needed to Treat can be used to help identify whether a treatment is effective. This website includes a tutorial, video and quiz as well as summaries of research.

PRISMA Statement - Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Group guidance on reporting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

RAMMbo - mnemonic to help you to remember the elements to consider when critically appraising information. See the Evidence-based Practice Workbook, check the index for references where this is discussed or start at page 76.