Resources and tools
Checklists, worked (fictional) examples and calculators used in the sessions.
| File | Purpose | Used in | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical appraisal checklist (10 questions) | “Be the reviewer”: one page with the 10 questions. Each question is answered Yes / No / Can’t tell, with “where in the paper”. Includes a how-to-use box and a verdict row. | S4 (introduced, 4.3); S8 (8.3 whole-class appraisal); manuscript peer review after S8 | Word · PDF |
| Risk-of-bias tool chooser | One page mapping each design to its tool: RCT to RoB 2; non-randomised intervention to ROBINS-I; cohort and case-control to Newcastle–Ottawa or ROBINS-E; diagnostic accuracy to QUADAS-2; systematic review to AMSTAR 2; qualitative to CASP. Each row says what the tool checks and where to get it free. | S4 (4.3 Beyond single studies); S8 (8.3) | Word · PDF |
| Writing and submission checklist | A pre-submission tick list covering the title, abstract, IMRaD sections, numbers, tables and figures, reporting guideline, declarations, references, journal fit, cover letter and submission package, and proofs. | S7–S8 (7.3, 8.1–8.2); take-home | Word · PDF |
| Sample ethics application (fictional) | A completed fictional ethics application for a prospective cohort (FLUID-BAL: fluid balance and 28-day mortality in ICU sepsis). Includes a waiver/deferred-consent justification and “why this is a good answer” notes. | S7 (7.1; proposal Part 4) | Word · PDF |
| Sample grant concept note (fictional) | A completed fictional 2-page concept note for the same study, with funder tips in the right-hand margin column. | S7 (7.1 feasibility); take-home | Word · PDF |
| 2×2 calculator (Excel) | Type the four cells of a 2×2 table: risks, RR, RD, NNT/NNH and OR, plus sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Pre-filled with the Session 4 examples. | S4 | Excel |
| Sample-size calculator (Excel) | One proportion (prevalence survey), two proportions and two means, with drop-out; checked against textbook values. | S6 | Excel |
See also: the glossary, further reading, the two papers and the course dataset.
A short anonymous quiz is taken in Session 1 and Session 8.