Magnitude of effect | Strength of association | Strength of association | Strength/magnitude of association | Strength/magnitude of association | Strength of association |
| | | | | |
Consistency | Replication | Consistency | Consistency | Consistency | Consistency |
| | | | | |
| | Specificity | Specificity | | Specificity |
| | | | | |
| Temporality | Temporality | Temporality | Temporality | Temporality |
| | | | | |
Dose response | Dose response | Biological gradient | Dose response | Dose response | Dose response |
| | | | | |
Biological mechanism | | Biological plausibility | | Biological mechanisms | Mechanisms |
| | | | | |
| Biological reasonableness | Biological coherence | Biological coherence | Consonance with existing knowledge | |
| | | | | |
Experimentation evidence | | Experimental (intervention) | | Experimental (intervention) | Experimental |
| | | | | |
| | Analogy | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | Exclusion of alternative explanations | |