BACKGROUND: Pharmacoeconomic studies are increasing in number along with their use in health care decision-making. The methods and analyses used in these studies are often new to clinicians; thus, clinicians may often find it difficult to read, interpret, assess and use these studies in their own decision-making when comparing products. OBJECTIVE: In late 1997, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) convened a task force charged with developing methodological standards that could be used to evaluate CNS-related (e.g. psychiatric, neurologic) pharmacoeconomic studies and be used to rate these studies. METHODS: The Task Force was comprised of members of the ACNP, non-ACNP scientists, and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry with expertise and interest in phamacoeconomics. The Task Force first compiled a draft set of rating criteria from existing criteria and other guidelines for pharmacoeconomic studies. Two separate rounds of feasibility tests were conducted during which Task Force members evaluated three pharmacoeconomic studies using the initial and the revised rating scale. RESULTS: To date, a working rating scale using a 6 point Likert-type responses has been developed which includes 29 aspects of a pharmacoeconomic study over the following 7 domains: scope of study, study objectives, sample, methods, definitions, results and discussion, and conclusions. The scale is under consideration for use by the ACNP pending further refinement. CONCLUSIONS: A rating scale has been developed by which to assess pharmacoeconomic studies within a clinical specialty area. Further testing is needed to refine the scale and assess its psychometric properties.