Critical appraisal of the literature is an important step in evidence-based practice. Once you find an article that matches your topic or answers your clinical question, you still need to know a few things - is it well written? Can you trust it? How will you know? An article doesn't have to be 'good' to be published. Deliberate assessment of the research methodology, results, authorship, sources of bias, and applicability to your chosen population are important for determining the utility of the article for your topic. Critical appraisal tools provide a structure that helps the evidence-based practitioner evaluate articles of a variety of research methodologies.
Below is a playlist with seven videos that address critical appraisal concepts and methods for six different research designs (systematic reviews/meta analyses, randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case control studies, cross sectional studies, and diagnostic studies). The videos go through using the CASP checklist with a sample article for each type of study.