Key
Exam Clues /
Category What It Means Question to Example
Keywords
Ask
Checking
Trustworthiness
Randomization, for selection bias,
and believability “Can I trust
blinding, bias, valid ensuring validated
🧠 1. Credibility of results. Looks these
tools, consistent instruments, or
at bias, methods, results?”
findings, replication noting results agree
and accuracy.
with prior studies.
Reviewing 95%
“How sure or
Exactness or Confidence interval CI for infection rate to
exact are
🎯 2. Precision stability of the width, standard see if estimate is
these
result estimate. error, sample size narrow (precise) or
numbers?”
wide (imprecise).
A treatment lowers
Size or importance “How big or Effect size,
pain scores by 2
📏 3. Magnitude of the effect — meaningful is Cohen’s d, odds
points (large Cohen’s
of Effects both statistical and the ratio, relative risk, p-
d) → clinically
clinical. difference?” value
meaningful.
Whether the Experimental vs. “Correlation does not
“Did this
relationship shows correlational, mean causation.”
🔍 4. Meaning cause that, or
cause-and-effect confounders, Nonrandomized
(Causality) are they just
or mere alternative design → cannot infer
related?”
association. explanations causality.
Different hospitals,
Applicability of age groups,
“Would this Study in one PICU —
🌎 5. results to other countries,
hold true for can results apply
Generalizability populations, convenience
others?” to community EDs?
settings, or times. samples, inclusion
criteria
💡 6. Why results “So what? Practice Authors conclude
Implications matter — how What should change, guideline findings support
(Practice / they influence change update, supports protocol updates or
Theory / practice, theory, or because of theory, identifies suggest further
Research) future research. this?” research gaps study.
Exam Clues /
Category What It Means Question to Example
Keywords
Ask
Checking
Trustworthiness
Randomization, for selection bias,
and believability “Can I trust
blinding, bias, valid ensuring validated
🧠 1. Credibility of results. Looks these
tools, consistent instruments, or
at bias, methods, results?”
findings, replication noting results agree
and accuracy.
with prior studies.
Reviewing 95%
“How sure or
Exactness or Confidence interval CI for infection rate to
exact are
🎯 2. Precision stability of the width, standard see if estimate is
these
result estimate. error, sample size narrow (precise) or
numbers?”
wide (imprecise).
A treatment lowers
Size or importance “How big or Effect size,
pain scores by 2
📏 3. Magnitude of the effect — meaningful is Cohen’s d, odds
points (large Cohen’s
of Effects both statistical and the ratio, relative risk, p-
d) → clinically
clinical. difference?” value
meaningful.
Whether the Experimental vs. “Correlation does not
“Did this
relationship shows correlational, mean causation.”
🔍 4. Meaning cause that, or
cause-and-effect confounders, Nonrandomized
(Causality) are they just
or mere alternative design → cannot infer
related?”
association. explanations causality.
Different hospitals,
Applicability of age groups,
“Would this Study in one PICU —
🌎 5. results to other countries,
hold true for can results apply
Generalizability populations, convenience
others?” to community EDs?
settings, or times. samples, inclusion
criteria
💡 6. Why results “So what? Practice Authors conclude
Implications matter — how What should change, guideline findings support
(Practice / they influence change update, supports protocol updates or
Theory / practice, theory, or because of theory, identifies suggest further
Research) future research. this?” research gaps study.
