Fitness Information Literacy Standards

The hierarchy of research quality is a system used to rank the reliability and credibility of different types of research. At the top of the hierarchy are clinical practice guidelines, which provide the strongest evidence for a given research question. Below that are systematic reviews and meta analysis, followed by individual studies and case series/case reports, which are considered weaker forms of evidence. The lowest form of accepted evidence being expert opinion. One shouldn’t take anyone’s word as reliable if they are unable to source higher quality research regarding the claims they are making.

It’s important to consider the hierarchy of research quality when sourcing information because the quality of the evidence can have a significant impact on the validity and reliability of the information you are gathering. 10 random studies on any given topic with no filtration can be contractory and cherry picked to fit an agenda. Relying on lower-quality evidence can lead to biased or incomplete conclusions, which can have negative consequences. By prioritizing higher-quality research, one can ensure that their sources are more trustworthy and that their conclusions are more accurate.

As one goes higher up the hierarchy more checks and balances are in place to counter many of the criticisms of modern science. Those criticisms are often used in place of research to invalidate academic claims even though the person putting forth the critisism may not have even assessed what they are critical of. In addition they may not have any standards themselves for information quality. Its an important practice to assess ones information foundation to make sure an academic does not hurt themselves or other people making claims that may not check out in reality.

For additional academic reading:

https://canberra.libguides.com/c.php?g=599346&p=4149721

https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/healthevidence/evidencepyramid