"Critical appraisal is the process of examining research evidence to assess its validity, results and relevance before using it to inform a decision." eHealth NSW (2018).
Different research designs will need to be appraised with different questions to assess their quality. Critical Appraisal Tools and checklists help with this process and are available for many different study designs.
eHealth NSW. (2018). Clinical Information Access Portal (CIAP) EBP Learning Modules. https://www.ciap.health.nsw.gov.au/training/ebp-learning-modules/module4/critical-appraisal-of-literature.html