1. Literature search

1.4 The use of documents that have been retrieved

b. Appraisal of the relevance of selected documents

The compilation of data is necessary, but it does not give the total picture. It must also be subjected to «critical appraisal» in the English-language meaning of this term.

This appraisal is one of the most difficult aspects of documentation. It must answer two questions:

  • Are the article and the information contained in it relevant to my research question?
  • Is the article reliable ? The answer to this question can be found after a critical analysis of medical literature. In other words, are the reported results of good enough quality for me use to construct my research projects and bring beneficial value to my research protocol?