| 1 | Context & Setting | 1 | The study describes critical features of the context or setting relevant to the review. |
| 2 | Participant | 2 | The study describes participant demographics relevant to the review. |
| 3 | The study describes disability or risk status of the participants and method for determining status. |
| 3 | Intervention Agent | 4 | The study describes the role of the intervention agent and, as relevant to the review, background variables. |
| 5 | The study specifies required interventionist training or qualifications, confirms their attainment, and provides details. |
| 4 | Description of Practice | 6 | The study details intervention procedures and agents’ actions or cites accessible sources providing this information. |
| 7 | When relevant, the study describes materials, or cites one or more accessible sources providing this information. |
| 5 | Implementation Fidelity | 8 | Assesses and reports implementation fidelity regarding adherence using direct, reliable measurement methods. |
| 9 | Assesses and reports implementation fidelity regarding dosage or exposure with direct, reliable measures. |
| 10 | Reports fidelity data systematically across the implementation period and across agents, settings, and participants, when applicable; applies to adherence or dosage when at least one is assessed |
| 6 | Internal Validity | 11 | The researcher systematically controls and manipulates the independent variable. |
| 12 | Baseline or control/comparison conditions are clearly described, including curriculum, instruction, and intervention contexts. |
| 13 | Baseline or control participants have no or minimal access to the active intervention. |
| 14 | The design demonstrates experimental effects at least three times across different occasions. |
| 15 | Baseline phases include at least three data points (unless justified) and demonstrate a predicTable performance pattern. |
| 16 | The design rules out alternative explanations and controls threats to internal validity; accepted SSD designs (ABAB, multiple-baseline, changing criterion, alternating treatment) satisfy this when properly executed. |
| 7 | Dependent Vriables | 17 | Dependent variables are socially significant and tied to meaningful developmental, learning, or quality-of-life outcomes |
| 18 | Dependent variables are precisely and operationally defined. |
| 19 | The study explains valid and reliable measurement procedures, including how repeated measurement can be replicated |
| 20 | Outcomes are graphically displayed to show intervention effects, with accurate and non-selective reporting of results. |
| 21 | Measurement frequency and timing must be appropriate, with at least three data points per phase at each occasion unless justified (e.g., severe behavior or zero baseline); alternating treatment designs require at least four alternations. |
| 22 | For each dependent variable, reliability (e.g., internal consistency, interobserver agreement, test–retest, or equivalent forms) must be reported and meet minimum standards (e.g., ≥ .80 reliability, ≥ 80% agreement, κ ≥ .60). |
| 8 | Data Analysis | 23 | The study provides clear single-subject graphs across all phases for each unit of analysis, allowing reviewers to draw basic conclusions about intervention effects. |