Did the design minimize biases and threats to the internal and external validity of the study (e.g., was blinding used, was attrition minimized)?

Questions that thoroughly need to be answered in the papers:
A. Problem and Purpose
• Was the problem statement clearly stated?
• Was the purpose of the research clearly supported?
• Was the relationship between the independent and dependent variables clearly stated?
• Does the purpose of the research have significance for Nursing?
Method

B. Research design
• Was the most rigorous possible design used, given the purpose of the research?
• Were appropriate comparisons made to enhance interpretability of the findings?
• Was the number of data collection points appropriate?
• Did the design minimize biases and threats to the internal and external validity of the study (e.g., was blinding used, was attrition minimized)?
• What kind of design was utilized? Be precise.

C. Population and sample
• Was the population identified and described? Was the sample described in sufficient detail?
• Was the best possible sampling design used to enhance the sample’s representativeness?  Were sample biases minimized?
• Was the sample size adequate? Was a power analysis used to estimate sample size needs?

Book we use:
Polit, D., & Beck, C.T. (2013). Essentials of nursing research (8th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.