"The Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) has separated the types of studies into categories designed to direct clinicians in answering clinically relevant questions. Knowledge of the level of evidence for each type of study helps clinicians determine the value of the results reported. The levels of evidence range from 1 to 5; Level 1 is the highest quality and Level 5 is the lowest."
from: Medina, J.M., Mckeon, P.O. and Hertel, J. Rating the Levels of Evidence in Sports-Medicine Research. (2006). Athletic Therapy Today, 11, 5. pp.45-48