Adverse effects of dexamethasone on children with asthma

Guidelines for a Critical Review of a Journal Article
The following outline presents arrays of questions you should be asking yourself as you read a primary research article (don’t worry, not all of the questions pertain to every article you are reading). All of the articles that you review may not be of the same quality! If, as you work through the articles that you plan to reference in your review paper, you use these questions as a guide, you will be able to discern good research from not-so-good – and you can report that in your review paper as well.
I. Purpose of research and hypothesis
A. Was the purpose of the study clearly stated?
B. If a hypothesis was tested, were the null and alternative hypotheses stated?
C. Were the study’s objectives clearly stated? In other words, was it clear to you what the authors’ wanted to accomplish?

1. Design of the study
   A. Test subjects
   1. Humans (if studied)
   a. Was the target population specified? Was it an appropriate population to test the objectives of the study?
   b. Were subpopulations chosen randomly or was a bias evident in the selection process?
   c. What was the completeness of the information provided on
   (1) demographics
   (2) medical histories
   (3) factors that may have confounded the results of the study
   d. If a biochemical parameter was measured, was baseline data taken (i.e., level of the parameter before any treatment was initiated)?
   2. Animals (if used in the study)
   a. What kind of information was provided on the genetics or source of test populations?
   b. What information was supplied on housing or environmental conditions during the tests, including acclimation procedures?
   c. Was information supplied regarding diets, ingredients, other maintenance factors? Were they important to the results of the study?

1. Were the feeding regimes used appropriate (e.g., ad libitum, restrictive feeding, etc.)?
   B. Controls
   1. Did the study use appropriate controls?
   2. Did test subjects serve as their own controls? If not, what subpopulation was used as the control group?
   3. What kind of controls were used? Were they adequate for the aims of the study?
   4. Were the controls matched to the test subjects for demographic and exposure history?
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   5. Should the study have used special controls (e.g., double blind, positive and/or vehicle controls)?
   C. Methods
   1. Were the methods described clearly and completely, with adequate references for procedures that were not completely described?
   2. Were the methods used to evaluate toxicity appropriate for the stated purpose of the study?
   3. If a chemical, drug or other toxic agent was administered during the study, was the level of dose/exposure given at physiological or environmental levels? If not, what was the justification for using higher than normal levels?
   4. Were all of the materials and methods used in this study either listed or referenced? In other words, would you be able to replicate this study on the basis of the information given in the Materials and Methods section of this paper?

5. Were the procedures used for collecting, storing and transporting biological samples specified?
   6. If the study used human subjects, was informed consent obtained?
   D. Statistical analyses
   1. Were the statistical methods used to evaluate the data stated clearly?
   2. Were the independent and dependent variables presented clearly?
   3. Were the statistical methods appropriate for the kind of data that was being analyzed?
   4. Was a reference provided for the statistical methods?
   III. Data presentation (Results section)
   A. Were the data presented in logical sequence?
   B. Was all of the information needed to evaluate the results of the study provided or would more information be needed to draw valid conclusions from the study? If so, what additional information would be needed?
   C. Were the tables, graphs, etc. clearly titled and labeled with the appropriate units?
   D. Did the authors use qualitative measurements when more quantitative measurements should have been used?
   IV. Conclusions drawn from the study
   A. Do the conclusions appear valid based on the data presented?
   B. Are the conclusions based solely on the results of the study or do they appear biased and unsupported by the data? Be specific.
   C. Would you change the design of the study? If so, how would you change it and for what reasons? Be specific.