the knowledge platform

paper triage in 7 minutes: decide if it’s worth your time

a time-boxed way to triage papers: abstract-first reading, methods sniff-test, results extraction, and a “trust and relevance” score you can apply on shift.

The Bottom Line

  • You are not reading to be impressed — you are reading to decide.
  • Triage is a filter: relevance first, then trust, then applicability.
  • Most papers can be rejected quickly for the right reasons (wrong population, wrong outcome, weak design, biased reporting).

The point of triage

Triage protects your attention. It prevents you from spending 45 minutes on something that was never going to change your decision.

Fast validity red flags

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SourceBMJ: How to read a paper (series hub)
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