Evaluating the literature

The ability to read critically and evaluate research literature will increase in importance as the dietetic profession builds a research base to support practice. In this article, the "who, why, what, where, and when" of critiquing the literature are presented. An overview of "how" to critique the literature is outlined in a 10-step process that emphasizes effective time use. At each step, a decision is made to continue reading the article or to go to the next article or journal. The process includes examination of: 1) the journal and the title of the article; 2) the authors' names; 3) the abstract; 4) the introduction; 5) the objective of the study; 6) the methods; 7) the results; 8) the discussion; and 9) the conclusions. The 10th step, reached only if the article satisfactorily addresses the previous nine, is to attempt to use the information in practice.