Table 2 Study quality assessment criteria

Methodology

Are methods clearly explained and replicable?

Is the sampling frequency, duration of study, and sample size (e.g. extrapolations, generalizations) appropriate for answering the question(s) posed by the study?

Study site selection

Is the choice of study site selection clear and justified? This decision will be based on the explanations provided by study authors regarding a study site’s relevance in answering research questions, and is particularly important for the selection of case and control sites in terms of their comparability

Sources of data

Are the sources of data reliable, complete and available in the article? Do authors acknowledge potential biases, consider potential confounding factors, and/or perform triangulation to ascertain research results? The reliability of data will be assessed based on the authors’ acknowledgement of potential biases and if triangulation is performed to ascertain research results

Results

Are the results clearly linked to the intervention? Is causation of the socioeconomic, environmental, and/or health outcomes clearly attributable to the wood energy activities?

Conclusion

Are the conclusions justified by the results presented? Are the authors’ conclusions about the impact of woodfuel value chain activities supported by their data?