A structured check for flaws in a study's design that could distort its results.
Risk-of-bias assessment is a systematic evaluation of a study's methodology (e.g., randomisation, blinding, allocation concealment, attrition, selective reporting) to judge how likely its findings are to be distorted by systematic error rather than true effect. Tools such as the Cochrane RoB 2 (for RCTs) or ROBINS-I (for non-randomised studies) are commonly used to produce a structured, domain-by-domain judgement rather than a single overall score. Ratings are usually qualitative (e.g., low/some concerns/high risk) and require reviewer judgement, so results can vary between assessors even when the same tool is applied.
This guide was auto-drafted and is pending editorial review.