The Literature Review

Critical Appraisal is the systematic evaluation of research papers to see if they address a focused question, use a valid methodology, and have essential results applicable to the researcher's question.  

Question frameworks assist with planning the strategy for a critical appraisal, such as a literature review.

• PICO(T) and its variations are a typically used question framework in the biomedical sciences; other disciplines may need to measure different variables. 
• For social sciences and humanities research, e.g. Education or Business, researchers may find SPiDER and SPICE helpful in framing questions and generating keywords.