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College of Nursing Guide

A brief guide to finding and using research and other tools for assignments and projects in Nursing.

The Evidence Pyramid

The Evidence Pyramid

Levels of Evidence Pyramid

Determining Study Type

What Study Design is This? Table/flowchart

Source (SUPER handy workbook!): Evidence-Based Answers to Clinical Questions for Busy Clinicians (PDF), p. 28.

Levels of Evidence

Stetler Levels

Stetler Levels of Evidence table

Melnyk levelsStetler's Levels of Evidence. In order from top to bottom: Systematic Review and meta-analysis, Randomized Control Trial, controlled trials without randomization, case-control and cohort studies, systematic reviews of descriptive or qualitative studies, and expert opinion.


Source: Melnyk, B.M. & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-based practice in nursing and healthcare: A guide to best practicePhiladelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

Reading & Evaluating Articles