Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields

This paper has been prepared on the basis of available information of which the Foundation is aware from public literature and expert opinion and attempts to be current to the date of publication. Additional information and comments relative to the information paper are welcome and should be sent to: Acknowledgements The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research is grateful to the following persons for information and comments on the draft paper. The views expressed in the final paper are those of the Foundation. XX Preface The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) health technology assessment initiative series, commenced in March 2000 with " A Framework for regional health authorities to make optimal use of health technology assessment. " The purpose of this series has been to provide policy and decision-makers with the best information available on how to redesign their health care structures and processes to effectively respond to the challenge of decision-making in a turbulent health care environment. XXX Other papers in this series are listed on the inside front cover. Copies of these and other reports can be found at: If you have any comments or suggestions to make on this paper, I would be delighted to receive your feedback.