The CEESAT checklist provides a point by point appraisal of the confidence that can be placed in the findings of an evidence review by assessing the rigour of the methods used in the review, the transparency with which those methods are reported and the limitations imposed on synthesis by the quantity and quality of available primary data. Note that CEESAT does not distinguish between reviews that do not employ methodology that reduces risk of bias and increases reliability of findings and reviews that may have employed such methodology but do not report it.
Each component of the review process is appraised according to a set of criteria. Each criteria are assigned a rating ranging from red (poor quality) to gold (high quality). Explore review components, sets of criteria, and thresholds for different ratings below.
Read more about the CEESAT criteria in an article published by Paul Woodcock and colleagues in Biological Conservation and on the CEE website.
Mistra EviEM hosted a CEE workshop on the development of a tool for appraising reliability of literature reviews in environmental management (CEESAT Collaboration for Environmental Evidence Synthesis Appraisal Tool) for a group of invited persons engaged in further improving the tool.
The CEESAT workshop group. From left: Jacqui Eales, Neal Haddaway, Ruth Garside, Nicola Randall, Barbara Livoreil, Andrew Pullin, Geoff Frampton, Christian Kohl and Biljana Macura.
