To address an apparent gap in the availability of appraisal tools to facilitate consistent, comprehensive, and exacting peer-review of in vitro studies, we are developing a new tool “PRIVAT” (Peer-Review In Vitro Appraisal Tool).
The methodology for developing PRIVAT includes:
- a systematic search for existing critical appraisal tools and reporting checklists for in vitro study designs;
- the creation of an item bank of study appraisal criteria for informing the future development of critical appraisal tools;
- designing a straw man tool from the item bank;
- analysing the straw man tool via a Delphi process to produce a final working version of PRIVAT.