From: Effectiveness of mycofiltration for removal of contaminants from water: a systematic review protocol
Criterion | Checklist question | Low validity | Medium validity | High validity |
---|---|---|---|---|
Study design | Was there a sufficient number of replicates per experiment? | Less than three replicates | Three replicates | More than three replicates |
Risk of confounding | Are confounding variables (temperature, seasons, pH of sample, pre-treatment of mycofilter) accounted for? | Confounders present and/ or not accounted for | At least two confounders accounted for | All confounders adequately accounted for |
Risk of misclassification bias | Is the intervention clearly defined (i.e., fungal species used)? | No clear definition | Clear definition | Clear definition |
Risk of performance bias | Is there a clear link between hypothesis and measured outcomes? | No link between hypothesis and measured outcomes | Clear link between some hypothesis and measured outcomes | Clear link between hypothesis and measured outcomes |
Risk of reporting bias | Is the reported effect estimate based on selected measurements of the outcome? Is there clarity of measured outcomes before vs after intervention (i.e. no missing data)? | Effect estimate is based on some of the measured outcomes (subgroup of < 50% of all measured outcomes) Measured outcomes before vs after, not adequately stated | Effect estimate is based on some of the measured outcomes (subgroup of 50% of all measured outcomes) Measured outcomes before vs after, clear enough | Effect estimate is based on all of the measured outcomes Measured outcomes before vs after, clearly and adequately stated |
Risk of analysis bias | Is there sufficient description of statistical analysis and results? | No clear/ appropriate description of statistical analysis and results | Clear enough description of statistical analysis and results | Clear and appropriate description of statistical analysis and results |