A protocol to develop a quality assessment tool for realist synthesis (QUATRES)

A realist synthesis or review is a theory-driven, realist-informed interpretive approach to synthesizing secondary data, informing evidence-based practice, and explaining social phenomena. Realist syntheses use flexible and iterative methods to achieve this goal, including drawing on stakeholders’ knowledge. Thus, realist syntheses require robust planning to be conducted and reported. Similarly, owing to their complex and iterative nature, they also need assessment guidelines so that knowledge practitioners and policymakers can appraise the value of the evidence they produce. While some current tools guide the conduct and reporting of realist syntheses, little comprehensive guidance exists on effectively assessing the quality of realist syntheses. To this end, we aim to develop a Quality Assessment Tool for Realist Synthesis (QUATRES) to encourage the transparent reporting of the review methods, the explicit assessment of the quality of reviews and the reliability of their findings. To achieve this, we will employ a multi-method study design consisting of three work packages: an audit of peer-reviewed articles to identify strengths and weaknesses in a sample of papers reporting realist syntheses, a methodological review of realist synthesis methodology guidance to identify quality markers, and a Delphi consensus to refine and validate quality markers.