Development and applications of the single-case design risk of bias tool for evaluating single-case design research study reports.
The RoB tool gives BCBAs a fast, transparent way to judge trust in single-case studies.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Reichow et al. (2018) built a new checklist. It is called the Single-Case Design Risk of Bias tool. The tool helps you spot weak spots in single-case reports. The team wrote clear rules for each item. They ran a small test to see if raters could use it the same way.
What they found
Raters agreed on most items. The tool picked out studies that might exaggerate results. It flagged missing data, loose phase lengths, and unclear blinding. The authors say the tool is ready for reviews and meta-analyses.
How this fits with other research
Hatfield et al. (2019) extend this work. Their primer tells researchers to run the RoB tool while the study is still in progress. This catches problems before publication.
Frazier et al. (2018) built a sister tool called CSCEDARS. It rates quality in comparative teaching studies. You can use both tools together: RoB for bias, CSCEDARS for design fit.
Kirby et al. (2021) give 15 extra checks for Repeated Acquisition Designs. Their list and the RoB tool overlap on blinding and inter-rater agreement. Use both when you review RAD papers.
Why it matters
You now have a short, free checklist that sharpens your evidence-based practice search. Run the RoB tool on each single-case article before you add it to a treatment packet. If a study fails on key items, treat it as weaker evidence. Share the rating sheet with your team so everyone uses the same lens.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses can be a useful method for synthesizing evidence across multiple studies to draw conclusions about a research base. An important aspect of rigorous systematic reviews is an assessment of the study methods and potential biases impacting results or interpretations and conclusions of the primary studies. Single-case design (SCD) research has been a primary mechanism for identifying evidence-based practices across disciplines, but primarily in behavioral fields and special education. While the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool has been adapted for use in reviews of non-randomized studies, there is currently no guidance for evaluating SCD research. Hence, we developed a single case design risk of bias tool (SCD RoB) based on current conceptualizations of biases that might affect the validity of claims from single-case design research. We used the Cochrane risk of bias criteria and contemporary single-case design quality indicators and design standards to guide development. We describe the SCD RoB tool and two early applications of its use to demonstrate its application and provide initial validation. We also provide an overview of future areas of research using the SCD RoB tool in an effort to advance the science of single-case design research methods.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2018 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.05.008