Research-informed practice: The hierarchy of evidence
Written By: Author(s): Gary Jones
2 min read
What’s the idea?
With so much research evidence available, it can be helpful to use a hierarchy of evidence to help you make a judgement on how much weight to give different types of research.
What does it mean?
The hierarchy of evidence is an attempt to rank different types of studies based on the rigour of the research methods used. You can use this as a framework when searching for the best available evidence: you may start by looking at systematic reviews and, if they are not available, you may turn to randomised controlled trials and so on.
Remember, however, that all research has benefits and limitations.
Systematic review & meta-analysis. This is a review of existing research using explicit, rigorous research methods i.e. it critically appraises or analyses the evidence. This will often give you a good overview of the research landscape on a particular topic
Randomised controlled trial. This assesses whether a particular approach or intervention is effective by comparing the out
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This article was published in May 2019 and reflects the terminology and understanding of research and evidence in use at the time. Some terms and conclusions may no longer align with current standards. We encourage readers to approach the content with an understanding of this context.
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