Category: Interesting articles. This category lists interesting articles that I have mentioned on my weblog. Most of these articles are in peer-reviewed journals. I list links to full text and/or PDFs when they are available. You can find the theme and closely related categories at the bottom of this page. Articles are listed in alphabetical order by title.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L

M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X

Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Articles that serve as illustrative examples

Individual articles not yet in the proper format

Webpages with articles not yet in the common format

A

  1. Absolute and relative truth in clinical trials. D. Julian. Lancet 2002: 359(9321); 1945-1946. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: MeasuringBenefitRisk. Description: This article criticizes a recent publication for failing to present risk in absolute rather than relative terms.
  2. The abuse of power: the pervasive fallacy of power calculations for data analysis. John M Hoenig, Dennis M Heisey. The American Statistician 2001: 55(1); 19-24. This article is cited in Category: PostHocPower. Description: This article demonstrates that several different approaches for calculating post-hoc power are flawed and can produce misleading conclusions. Once a confidence interval has been computed, there is no additional information that a post hoc power calculation can provide.
  3. Academic freedom in clinical research. D. G. Nathan, D. J. Weatherall. N Engl J Med 2002: 347(17); 1368-71. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article summarizes the Nancy Oliveri case. Dr. Olivieri was a researcher who was determined to present information about safety problems with a drug she was studying, in violation of a confidentiality agreement with the drug company that sponsored the research. This case illustrates the need to avoid agreements with drug companies that allow those companies to completely bar publication of unfavorable results.
  4. Academic Relationships with Industry: A New Model for Biomedical Research. H Moses, JB Martin. JAMA 2001: 285(7); 933 - 935. [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article proposes several general principles for managing the increasingly complex financial ties between academic research institutions and industry.
  5. Academic-corporate ties in biotechnology: a quantitative study. S. Krimsky, J. G. Ennis, R. Weissman. Sci Technol Human Values 1991: 16(3); 275-87. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: Coming soon!
  6. Accuracy of clinical diagnosis of cirrhosis among alcohol-abusing men. K. J. Hamberg, B. Carstensen, T. I. Sorensen, K. Eghoje. J Clin Epidemiol 1996: 49(11); 1295-301. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: DiagnosticTesting. Description: This article shows the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity in a simpler, but less effective way by plotting the sensitivity and specificity as two separate curves.
  7. All Gifts Large and Small - Toward an Understanding of the Ethics of Pharmaceutical Industry Gift-Giving. Dana Katz, Arthur L. Caplan, Jon F. Merz The American Journal of Bioethics 2003: 3(3); 39-46. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article notes that even gifts of negligible value can influence behavior and recommends that arbitrary value limits for reporting are inappropriate.
  8. Alternative medicine--the risks of untested and unregulated remedies. M. Angell, J. P. Kassirer. New England Journal of Medicine 1998: 339(12); 839-41. This article is cited in Category: TeachingResources. Excerpt: It is time for the scientific community to stop giving alternative medicine a free ride. There cannot be two kinds of medicine - conventional and alternative. There is only medicine that has been adequately tested and medicine that has not, medicine that works and medicine that may or may not work. Once a treatment has been tested rigorously, it no longer matters whether it was considered alternative at the outset. If it is found to be reasonably safe and effective, it will be accepted. But assertions, speculation, and testimonials do not substitute for evidence. Alternative treatments should be subjected to scientific testing no less rigorous than that required for conventional treatments.
  9. An alternative to null-hypothesis significance tests. P. R. Killeen. Psychol Sci 2005: 16(5); 345-53. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: HypothesisTesting. Description: This article describes p-rep, a statistic that measures the probability of replication. The article argues that this measure is superior to the p-value and also covers the mathematical details needed for calculation of the statistic.
  10. Analysis of means used to compare providers' referral patterns. K. Homa. Qual Manag Health Care 2007: 16(3); 256-64. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: AnalysisOfMeans. Description: This article provides an illustrative example of analysis of means (ANOM).
  11. Analyzing high-density oligonucleotide gene expression array data. EE Schadt, C Li, C Su, WH Wong. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry 2000: 80(2); 192-202. [Medline] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: DataMining. Description: This article presents an analysis approach for Affymetrix chips that includes background correction, normalization, and measurement of differential expression.
  12. Applying evidence to the individual patient. SE Straus, DL Sackett. Ann Oncol 1999: 10(1); 29-32. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: MeasuringBenefitRisk. Description: This paper provides practical guidance on the NNT/NNH tradeoffs.
  13. Are placebo run ins justified? SJ Senn. BMJ 1997: 314(7088); 1191-3. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: PlaceboControlledTrials. Description: This article criticizes the use of placebos at the start of a study to estimate compliance patterns and to potentially exclude patients who do not comply well with the research protocol. The author argues that this practice is deceptive and leads to poor science.
  14. Are subjects in pharmacological treatment trials of depression representative of patients in routine clincal practice? M Zimmerman, JI Mattia, Michael A Posternak. American Journal of Psychiatry 2002: 159(3); 469-473. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ExclusionsInResearch. Description: This article compares the typical patients with depression treated in routine clinical practice against the exclusion criteria used in a standard clinical trial of depression. Ony 41 of the original 346 patients would have been eligible for enrollment in a typical clinical trial.
  15. The “Arms Race” on American Roads: The Effect of SUV’s and Pickup Trucks on Traffic Safety [pdf]. Michelle J. White. 2004: XLVII(2); 333-356. [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: MeasuringBenefitRisk. Description: This web publication paper calculates expected deaths if a million drivers switched from light trucks to cars. It could easily be adapted to NNT and NNH calculations.
  16. Article makes simple errors and could cause unnecessary deaths. C. Baigent, R. Collins, R. Peto. British Medical Journal 2002: 324(7330); 167. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: CriticalAppraisal. Description: This article offers a critical review of a critical review (Cleland 2002). Cleland cited issues a large randomized trial of aspirin for prevention of heart attacks and with a meta-analysis. Baigent et al argue that the claims of Cleland are "wrong for trivial reasons and potentially damaging to patients."
  17. Assessing faculty financial relationships with industry: A case study. E. A. Boyd, L. A. Bero. Jama 2000: 284(17); 2209-14. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article summarizes the financial relationships that faculty members at the University of California, San Francisco have with external sponsors of clinical research. This occurs about 8% of the time. The finncial relationships typically involve paid speaking engagements and consulting agreements. A smaller proportion involved equity holding or participation on an advisory board.
  18. Assessment of the relationship between signal intensities and transcript concentration for Affymetrix GeneChip arrays. E. Chudin, R. Walker, A. Kosaka, S. X. Wu, D. Rabert, T. K. Chang, D. E. Kreder. Genome Biol 2002: 3(1); RESEARCH0005. [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: DataMining. Description: This article presents some data on the performance of Affymetrix chips using spiked samples.
  19. Association between competing interests and authors' conclusions: epidemiological study of randomised clinical trials published in the BMJ. LL Kjaergard, B Als-Nieslen. BMJ 2002: 325; 249 - 252. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article notes that publications noting financial competing interests led to different reporting results compared to publications reporting no competing interests. This effect could not be explained by methodological quality or other factors. Interestingly, publications reporting other types of competing interests did not differ in reporting results.
  20. Association of funding and conclusions in randomized drug trials: a reflection of treatment effect or adverse events? B. Als-Nielsen, W. Chen, C. Gluud, L. L. Kjaergard. Jama 2003: 290(7); 921-8. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article notes that industry funded studies are more likely to recommend the experimental drug. This result apears to be associated not with any particular finding of better efficacy or better safety, but rather a biased interpretation of trial results.
  21. Avoiding conflicts of interest in drug research. A. R. Feinstein, R. I. Horwitz. N Engl J Med 1979: 301(18); 1009. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: Coming soon!
  22. Association between industry funding and statistically significant pro-industry findings in medical and surgical randomized trials. M. Bhandari, J. W. Busse, D. Jackowski, V. M. Montori, H. Schunemann, S. Sprague, D. Mears, E. H. Schemitsch, D. Heels-Ansdell, P. J. Devereaux. Cmaj 2004: 170(4); 477-80. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article provides evidence that randomized trials sponsored by industry are more likley to report results favorable to the sponsoring company and compares these results to other studies looking at this issue. 

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  23. Bagging Survival Trees. Torsten Hothorn, Berthold Lausen, Axel Benner, Martin Radespiel-Troger. 2004: 23(1); 77-91. [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: DataMining. Description: This article discusses the use of bagging (bootstrap aggregation) for survival models with a large number of predictor variables.
  24. Being a modern pharmaceutical company: involves making information available on clinical trial programmes. R. Sykes. British Medical Journal 1998: 317(7167); 1172. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article highlights the policy at GlaxoWellcome to register information on all the clinical trials that it conducts.
  25. Benefit of heparin in peripheral venous and arterial catheters: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. A. G. Randolph, D. J. Cook, C. A. Gonzales, M. Andrew. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7136); 969-75. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: RandomizationInResearch. Description: This article is a meta-analysis that cites three examples of alternating or haphazard assignment and excludes them from the review.
  26. Beyond conflict of interest. Transparency is the key [editorial]. R Smith. Bmj 1998: 317(7154); 291-2. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article presents the case that conflict of interest is more than a theoretical concern and outlines changes in the conflict of interest policy at BMJ. 
  27. Bias in analytic research. D. L. Sackett. J Chronic Dis 1979: 32(1-2); 51-63. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: Coming soon!
  28. Bias in location and selection of studies. M. Egger, G. D. Smith. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7124); 61-6. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: This article reviews publication bias and several related types of bias, including language bias, database bias, and inclusion bias.
  29. Biases in the interpretation and use of research results. RJ MacCoun. Annu Rev Psychol 1998: 49; 259-87. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: CriticalAppraisal. Description: This article provides several fascinating examples of people's tendency to be hypercritical of research findings that they dislike and to overlook the flaws of research that they favor.
  30. Blood lead levels, scientific misconduct and the Needleman case. 3. A reply from Scarr and Ernhart. S Scarr, CB Ernhart. Am J Public Health 1996: 86(1); 113-4; author reply 114-5. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: Coming soon!
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  32. Background frequencies for residue variability estimates: BLOSUM revisited. I. Mihalek , I. Res and O. Lichtarge BMC Bioinformatics 2007, 8:488doi:10.1186/1471-2105-8-488. [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Information theory. Description: This paper adjusts the classic measure of entropy developed by Claude Shannon to account for different mutation probabilities.
  33. Bayesian Models for Gene Expression With DNA Microarray. Joseph G. Ibrahim, Ming-Hui Chen, Robert J. Gray. J American Statistical Association 2002: 97(457); 88-99. [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Bayesian statistics, Category: Data mining. Description: This article presents a Bayesian selection criteria for identifying a small set of genes that can distinguish between different types of tissue.
  34. Being a modern pharmaceutical company: involves making information available on clinical trial programmes [editorial]. Sykes R. British Medical Journal 1998: 317(7167); 1172. [Full text] [PDF] This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  35. Beyond conflict of interest. Transparency is the key [editorial]. Smith R. Bmj 1998: 317(7154); 291-2. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  36. Bias in location and selection of studies. Egger M, Smith GD. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7124); 61-6. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  37. Blind Prejudice - "Hard" scientists believe they are immune to bias. Robert Matthews. New Scientist 1998: (2117); 12. [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: BlindingInResearch. Description: This article makes the claim that parapsychology is far more rigorous than other scientific methods because their research papers use blinding far more often than other disciplines. It includes a quote from Rupert Sheldrake Most hard scientists take it for granted that blind techniques are unnecessary in their own field. Parapsychologists, on the other hand, have been constantly subjected to intense scrutiny by sceptics, and this has made them more rigorous." This claim is overly simplistic in my opinion, because blinding is just one of many dimensions of quality that need to be considered.
  38. Blood lead levels, scientific misconduct and the Needleman case. 3. A reply from Scarr and Ernhart. Scarr S, Ernhart CB. Am J Public Health 1996: 86(1); 113-4; author reply 114-5. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.

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  39. Calculating Confidence Intervals for Threshold and Post-Test Probabilities. I. Hozo, B Djulbegovic. M.D. Computing 1998: 15(2); 110-5. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: DiagnosticTesting. Description: This article describes a program that calculates confidence intervals for post-test probabilities in a diagnostic setting.
  40. Changeovers of vasoactive drug infusion pumps: impact of a quality improvement program. Laurent Argaud , Martin Cour , Olivier Martin , Marc Saint-Denis , Tristan Ferry , Agnes Goyatton and Dominique Robert Critical Care 2007, 11:R133doi:10.1186/cc6209. [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Adverse events in clinical trials. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a simple before and after design for assessing standardization of procedures. I want to contrast this approach with the use of control charts for tracking quality improvements.
  41. Changeovers of vasoactive drug infusion pumps: impact of a quality improvement program. L. Argaud, M. Cour, O. Martin, M. Saint-Denis, T. Ferry, A. Goyatton, D. Robert. Crit Care 2007: 11(6); R133. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: AdverseEvents. Description: This article presents a quality improvement approach for reducing adverse events associated with the changeover in a vasoactive infusion pump.
  42. Cholesterol lowering trials in coronary heart disease: frequency of citation and outcome. U. Ravnskov. British Journal of Medicine 1992: 305(6844); 15-19. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: This article examines 22 cholesterol lowering trials and found that positive trials were cited six times more frequently. This illustrates a tendency for researchers to preferentially cite trials that support the prevailing viewpoint.
  43. Clinical trials: the viewpoint of children. J Cherrill, H Hudson, C Cocking, V Unsworth, L Franck, J McIntyre and I Choonara. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2007;92:712-713 doi:10.1136/adc.2006.114207. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Children in research. Description: How well do children understand the research process? This paper summarizes a semi-structured interviews of 30 children from 8 to 16 years old. Most of these children understood that there were risks associated with participating in a clinical trial and had a variety of opinions about financial incentives.
  44. Clinical trial registration: looking back and moving ahead. Christine Laine, Richard Horton, Catherine De Angelis, Jeffrey M Drazen, Frank A Frizelle, Fiona Godlee, Charlotte Haug, Paul C Hébert, Sheldon Kotzin, Ana Marusic, Peush Sahni, Torben V Schroeder, Harold C Sox, Martin B Van Der Weyden and Freek W A Verheugt. MJA 2007; 186 (12): 612-613. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias. Description: The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors met to review their policy of requiring that clinical trials be registered prior to collecting data. If a clinical trial failed to register, then the results could not be published in any of the participating journals. This article clarifies this policy. Any research study "that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes" must be registered. The World Health Organization is developing a clearinghouse and system that unites a variety of individual registries and which would simplify both the submission process and the process of searching through the databases for relevant studies.
  45. Cluster without fluster: The effect of correlated outcomes on inference in randomized clinical trials. M. Proschan, D. Follmann. Stat Med 2008: 27(6); 795-809. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: MixedModels. Description: This article discusses research studies where clusters of patients appear after the data is collected. For example, some patients in an AIDS trial invite their partners to join the study. This is in contrast to a cluster randomized trial where the clusters are defined and incorporated into a research design. Clustering that appears in a simple randomized trial does violate the assumptions that observations are independent, but under fairly mild conditions, the statistics in these studies behave reasonably.
  46. Comparative response to a survey executed by post, email, & web form. Gi Woong Yun, Craig W Trumbo. JCMC 2000: 6(1); [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: SurveyDesign. Description: This article studies a data collection approach that used postal mail, e-mail, and a web-based form. Each method tended to solicit a different group of respondents. The authors conclude that using multiple methods to collect data will provide a more representative sample.
  47. Comparison of hospital episode statistics and central cardiac audit database in public reporting of congenital heart surgery mortality. Stephen Westaby, Nicholas Archer, Nicola Manning, Satish Adwani, Catherine Grebenik, Oliver Ormerod, Ravi Pillai, Neil Wilson. BMJ 2007;335:759 (13 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.39318.644549.AE. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Unusual data. Description: One of the more lively debates in medicine today is the use of report cards to summarize performance of hospitals and/or individual physicians. This paper takes individual statistics compiled by hospitals (hospital episode statistics) and compares them to a centralized database. There are large discrepancies between the two, and the authors suggest that individual hospitals should spend the effort to more rigorously collect and validate their data.
  48. Conflict of interest and cost-effectiveness analysis. S. Krimsky. Jama 1999: 282(15); 1474-5. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article reviews the viewpoints for an against disclosing financial conflicts of interest. Then the author summarizes a research publication of the influence of financial support in studies of cost effectiveness.
  49. Conflict of interest and the public trust. CD DeAngelis. JAMA 2000: 284(17); 2237-2238. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article summarizes an issue of JAMA devoted to conflict of interest issues. The authors note the problems with industry support of research, but argue that it is untenable to simply ban industry funding.
  50. Conflict of interest and the physician-researcher. M. L. Elks. J Lab Clin Med 1995: 126(1); 19-23. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article suggests that indirect research support may undermine the investigator's role to serve first as an advocate for his/her patient.
  51. Conflict of interest in the debate over calcium-channel antagonists. HT Stelfox, G Chua, K O'Rourke, AS Detsky. N Engl J Med 1998: 338(2); 101-6. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article reviews a series of publications examining the safety of calcium channel antogonists. Authors were more likely to have a financial ties if their articles were positive towards calcium-channel antagonists than those neutral or critical.
  52. CONSORT for Reporting Randomized Controlled Trials in Journal and Conference Abstracts: Explanation and Elaboration. S. Hopewell, M. Clarke, D. Moher, E. Wager, P. Middleton, D. G. Altman, K. F. Schulz. PLoS Med 2008: 5(1); e20. [Medline] [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: WritingResearchPapers. Description: This article describes the type of information that any abstract describing a randomized clinical trial should contain.
  53. Correlation coefficients in medical research: from product moment correlation to the odds ratio. H. C. Kraemer. Stat Methods Med Res 2006: 15(6); 525-45. [Medline] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Measuring agreement. Description: There are several measures of agreement (such as the phi coefficient, the point biserial correlation, and the tetrachoric correlation) that are used to show relationships when one or both variables are binary. This paper shows the interrelationships and the interpretation of these correlations and relates them to other measures not traditionally thought of as measures of correlation, such as the odds ratio.
  54. Current Controlled Trials: an opportunity to help improve the quality of clinical research. I. Chalmers. Curr Control Trials Cardiovasc med 2000: 1(1); 3-8. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: This articles describes a new journal, Current Controlled Trials in Cardiovascular Medicine, that encourages registration of all trials, reporting both positive and negative trials, and using systematic reviews to set the direction for future research.

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  55. Data inconsistencies in abstracts of articles in Clinical Chemistry. Siebers R. Clin Chem 2001; 47(1): 149. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Writing research papers. Description: A review of 87 articles published in Clinical Chemistry from January to June 2000 noted that 20 articles (23%) contained data in the abstract that were inconsistent with the main article or entirely missing from the main article. Some discrepancies were minor, but many were not.
  56. Database of mRNA gene expression profiles of multiple human organs. C. G. Son, S. Bilke, S. Davis, B. T. Greer, J. S. Wei, C. C. Whiteford, Q. R. Chen, N. Cenacchi, J. Khan. Genome Res 2005: 15(3); 443-50. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: TeachingResources. Description: This article describes an interesting data set, available for free on the web, that represents DNA expression levels for a 158 tissues (19 different organs from 30 different individuals).
  57. Debating how to do ethical research in developing countries. Anthony Costello. The Lancet 2007; 370:1025-1026 DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61461-5. [Full text] [PDF] This article is cited in Category: Ethics in research. Description: This is a review of the book Ethical Issues in International Biomedical Research: A Casebook. James V Lavery, Christine Grady, Elizabeth R Wahl and Ezekiel J Emanuel, eds. Oxford University Press, 2007. Pp 400. £32·99. ISBN 0-19-517922-4. This book contains 21 case studies of recently published research. The review is mostly positive. Dr. Costello likes the fact that the book raises more questions than answers, and characterizes the perspectives as "self-reflection without dogma."
  58. Decision theoretic designs for Phase II clinical trials with multiple outcomes. Nigel Stallard. Biometrics 1999: 55; 971-77. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Bayesian statistics, Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article provides a Bayesian approach to handling multiple comparisons in a trial where with multiple safety and efficacy endpoints.
  59. Determinants of abstract acceptance for the Digestive Diseases Week--a cross sectional study. Timmer A, Hilsden RJ, Sutherland LR. BMC Med Res Methodol 2001: 1(1); 13. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  60. Do certain countries produce only positive results? A systematic review of controlled trials. Vickers A, Goyal N, Harland R, Rees R. Control Clin Trials 1998: 19(2); 159-66. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  61. Do multiple outcome measures require p-value adjustment? R. J. Feise. BMC Med Res Methodol 2002: 2(1); 8. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article criticizes the use of Bonferroni corrections. It suggests that readers should instead assess the quality of the study, the magnitude of the effect, and consider results from similar studies. Researchers should select a primary outcome or use a single composite measure rather than relying on Bonferroni.
  62. Does the inclusion of grey literature influence estimates of intervention effectiveness reported in meta-analyses? McAuley L, Pham B, Tugwell P, Moher D. Lancet 2000: 356(9237); 1228 - 1231. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  63. Does the type of competing interest statement affect readers' perceptions of the credibility of research? Randomised trial. S Schroter, J Morris, S Chaudhry, R Smith, H Barratt. BMJ 2004: 328(7442); 742-3. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Excerpt: Financial relationships among industry and academic institutions are diverse and common. These interests can influence authors' conclusions and readers' perceptions of published studies. We report the effects on reader perceptions of different statements of competing interests for two manuscripts.
  64. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Transfer and Sale of De-Identified Patient Data. Gabrielle B. Goldstein, Jill H. Gordon. Journal of Clinical Research Best Practices 2008: 4(4); [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: PrivacyInResearch. Description: This article reviews the privacy regulations associated with research and offers an explanation of de-identifed data. The authors raise some provocative issues about individual property rights to medical data, even data that has been de-identified.

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  65. The effect of Web 2.0 on the future of medical practice and education: Darwikinian evolution or folksonomic revolution? Rick McLean, Brian H Richards and Janet I Wardman. MJA 2007; 187(3): 174-177. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Writing research papers. Description: Recent changes on the web that make it more interactive (collectively referred to as Web 2.0) have a potentially large impact on medicine. This article summarizes developments like Really Simple Syndication, blogs, wikis, and podcasts and their impact on heath care practice and education.
  66. Electronic trial banks: a complementary method for reporting randomized trials. Sim I, Owens DK, Lavori PW, Rennels GD. Med Decis Making 2000: 20(4); 440-50. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  67. Empirical assessment of effect of publication bias on meta-analyses. Sutton AJ, Duval SJ, Tweedie RJ, Abrams KR, Jones DR. British Medical Journal 2000: 320; 1574-1577. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  68. Empirical-Bayes adjustments for multiple comparisons are sometimes useful. S. Greenland, J. M. Robins. Epidemiology 1991: 2(4); 244-51. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Bayesian statistics, Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article proposes situations where adjustments for multiple comparisons are appropriate. The authors offer Empirical-Bayes and fully Bayesian approaches and describe their advantages over the traditional Bonferroni approach.
  69. Empirical Evidence for Selective Reporting of Outcomes in Randomized Trials: Comparison of Protocols to Published Articles. Chan A-W, MD, Hrobjartsson A, MD, PhD, Haahr MT, BSc, Gotzsche PC, MD, DrMedSci, Altman DG, DSc. Journal of the American Medical Association 2004: 291(20); 2457-65. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  70. Enhancing research integrity. Vincent V. Richman and Alex Richman. CMAJ. August 14, 2007; 177 (4). doi:10.1503/cmaj.1070059. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Fraud in research. Description: The authors suggest a decentralized approach to preventing research misconduct based on the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This law was passed to prevent fraudulent accounting practices, but many of the provisions can be adapted to a research setting.
  71. In the Era of Systematic Reviews, Does the Size of an Individual Trial Still Matter. Gordon H. Guyatt, Edward J. Mills, Diana Elbourne. PLoS Medicine Vol. 5, No. 1, e4 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050004. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Sample size justification. Description: Gordon Guyatt and Edward Mills argue that a requirement that all trials have a sample size justification has prevented a large number of research studies from starting. These studies, even though they each individually would fail to have appropriate power and precision, would contribute to a systematic overview that would be able to produce definitive results. Diana Elbourne argues that if a small negative trial stifles the production of further trials, then the systematic overview will not get a sufficient number of small trials. I think that both authors miss the point. I have argued that a systematic overview is like a multi-center trial where each center gets to use its own protocol and where the centers have the option of not reporting their data. There are no meta-analytic tools that can patch up a large number of small inadequately powered trials. A better solution is to encourage more collaborative multi-center trials rather than a patchwork of small single center trials.
  72. Estimating effect sizes: Bias resulting from the significance criterion in editorial decisions. Lane D, Dunlap W. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology 1978: 31; 107-112. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  73. Evaluating the quality of articles published in journal supplements compared with the quality of those published in the parent journal. Rochon P, Gurwitz J, Cheung M, Hayes J, Chalmers T. JAMA 1994: 272; 108 - 113. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  74. Evidence-based practice: extending the search to find material for the systematic review. Helmer D, Savoie I, Green C, Kazanjian A. Bull Med Libr Assoc 2001: 89(4); 346-52. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  75. The existence of publication bias and risk factors for its occurrence. Dickersin K. Jama 1990: 263(10); 1385-9. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.

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  76. Factors influencing publication of research results. Follow-up of applications submitted to two institutional review boards. K. Dickersin, Y. I. Min, et al. Jama 1992; 267(3): 374-8. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias. Description: This paper reviews 737 IRB approved studies at The Johns Hopkins Health Institutions and finds that the 124 unpublished studies were 2.5 more likely to show negative results. This publication bias appears to be due to the authors because only 6 of the 124 unpublished studies were rejected for publication.
  77. Fair conduct and fair reporting of clinical trials. Rennie D. Jama 1999: 282(18); 1766-8. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  78. False positive outcomes and design characteristics in occupational cancer epidemiology studies. GG Swaen, O Teggeler, LG van Amelsvoort. Int J Epidemiol 2001: 30(5); 948-54. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article reviews a series of false positive conclusions in epidemiologic research. The authors find that failure to develop a specific a priori hypothesis led to a three fold greater risk of producing a false positive conclusion.

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  79. GlaxoSmithKline faces US lawsuit over concealment of trial results. Dyer O. Bmj 2004: 328(7453); 1395. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  80. GRADE: an emerging consensus on rating quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. G. H. Guyatt, A. D. Oxman, G. E. Vist, R. Kunz, Y. Falck-Ytter, P. Alonso-Coello, H. J. Schunemann. BMJ 2008: 336(7650); 924-6. [Medline] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: SystematicOverviews. Description: This article presents the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system for rating evidence in a systematic overview or a clinical guideline. The system examines the quality of evidence, uncertainty about the balance between desirable and undesirable effects, uncertainty or variability in values and preferences, and uncertainty about whether the intervention represents a wise use of resources.

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  81. Haploview: analysis and visualization of LD and haplotype maps. Barrett JC, Fry B, Maller J and Daly MJ Bioinformatics 2005; 21(2): 263-5. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Data Mining. Description: This article describes a program written in JAVA to calculate linkage disequilibrium values and haplotype patterns.
  82. How important are comprehensive literature searches and the assessment of trial quality in systematic reviews? Empirical study. Egger M, Jüni P, Bartlett C, Holenstein F, Sterne J. Health Technology Assessment 2003: 7(1); [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  83. How much loss to follow-up is acceptable in long-term randomised trials and prospective studies? M. S. Fewtrell, K. Kennedy, A. Singhal, R. M. Martin, A. Ness, M. Hadders-Algra, B. Koletzko, A. Lucas. Arch Dis Child 2008: 93(6); 458-61. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ExtrapolationsInResearch. Description: This article reviews current literature recommendations on how low a drop-out should be in order to be acceptable. The general consensus is that 5% or less is good and that 20% or higher is bad (though some authors will say that 50% or more is bad). The authors point out that the statistical consequences of drop-outs vary from study to study and that rigid adherence to any fixed cut-off is inappropriate.
  84. How Quickly Do Systematic Reviews Go Out of Date? A Survival Analysis. Kaveh G. Shojania, Margaret Sampson, Mohammed T. Ansari, Jun Ji, Steve Doucette, and David Moher. Annals of Internal Medicine (2007, Aug 21), 147(4): 224-233. [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Systematic overviews. Description: Systematic reviews summarize all the data up to a certain time, so they can become "stale" over time. The authors selected a sample of systematic reviews and noted how often a new review of the same topic presented a change in statistical significance or a large change in the estimated magnitude of the effect. Using classic measures in survival analysis, the authors estimated half of the studies did not see such a shift until 5.5 years, but a significant fraction saw such a signal after one or two years.
  85. How to interpret figures in reports of clinical trials. Stuart J. Pocock, Thomas G. Travison, Lisa M. Wruck. BMJ 2008: 336(7654); 1166-1169. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: GraphicalDisplay. Description: This article reviews several commonly used data display methods and explains what a non-technical reader should look for. [[Note that full text and PDF are not available to the general public until December 2008]]
  86. How useful are unpublished data from the Food and Drug Administration in meta-analysis? MacLean CH, Morton SC, Ofman JJ, Roth EA, Shekelle PG. J Clin Epidemiol 2003: 56(1); 44-51. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  87. HRT: a reappraisal of the risks and benefits. Alastair H MacLennan. MJA 2007; 186 (12): 643-646 [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Observational studies. Description: Research goes in cycles. Ten years ago, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was recommended for most women on the basis of observational studies that showed that it reduced the risk of heart attacks. Two studies published near the turn of the century indicated that this might not be the case. These were randomized studies and were thought to be more definitive than the observational studies. There was a difference, though, in the conduct of the randomized trials and the observational studies, most notably the age at which HRT was initiated. A recent analysis of the data seems to suggest that HRT is protective if it is initiated early. I'm not an expert on HRT, but the lesson to be learned here is that no trials are capable of producing perfectly accurate results and you need to react to these trials carefully rather than with a checklist mentality (randomized=good, observational=bad).

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  88. If we're so different, why do we keep overlapping? When 1 plus 1 doesn't make 2. R. Wolfe, J. Hanley. CMAJ 2002: 166(1); 65-6. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConfidenceIntervals. Description: This article provides a simple explanation why two overlapping confidence intervals is not t he same as showing that the two means are not statistically different from one another.
  89. Impact of covert duplicate publication on meta-analysis: a case study. Tramer M, Reynolds D, Moore R, McQuay H. BMJ 1997: 315(7109); 635-40. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  90. Impact of FUTON and NAA bias on visibility of research. N. S. Murali, H. R. Murali, P. Auethavekiat, P. J. Erwin, J. N. Mandrekar, N. J. Manek, A. K. Ghosh. Mayo Clin Proc 2004: 79(8); 1001-6. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: The article examines journals with full text on the net (FUTON) and found that they had higher impact factors after converting to FUTON.
  91. Impact of FUTON and NAA bias on visibility of research. Murali NS, Murali HR, Auethavekiat P, Erwin PJ, Mandrekar JN, Manek NJ, Ghosh AK. Mayo Clin Proc 2004: 79(8); 1001-6. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  92. Implementing evidence based medicine in general practice: audit and qualitative study of antithrombotic treatment for atrial fibrillation. Howitt A, Armstrong D. British Medical Journal 1999: 318(7194); 1324-1327. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  93. Is academic medicine for sale? Angell M. N Engl J Med 2000: 342(20); 1516-8. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.

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  94. Journal Policies on Conflict of Interest: If This Is the Therapy, What's the Disease? Sheldon Krimsky. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2001: 70; 155-117. [Medline] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: This article criticizes the policies that most journals have for reporting conflicts of interest.

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  95. Knee-heel length measurement in healthy preterm infants. Ian J Griffin, NM Pang, J Perring, RJ Cooke. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1999: 81(1); 50-55. This article is cited in Category: MeasuringAgreement. Description: This article provides an illustrative example of how to use the coeficient of variation to measure agreement on a continuous trait among several raters.

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  96. Language bias in randomised controlled trials published in English and German. M. Egger, T. Zellweger-Zahner, M. Schneider, C. Junker, C. Lengeler, G. Antes. Lancet 1997: 350(9074); 326-9. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: This article found articles published in German which had a matching article published by the same author at about the same time, but using a different data set and published in English. In 62% of the English language articles, but only in 35% of the German language articles were there reports of a statistically significant finding (P<.05).
  97. Linear Information Models: An Introduction. Philip E. Cheng, Jiun W. Liou, Michelle Liou and John A. D. Aston. Journal of Data Science, v.5, no.3, 297-313. [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Information theory. Description: The classic analysis of variance model involves partitioning variances into several discrete components. You can use a similar approach for categorical data by partitioning measures of entropy and information. This article introduces how this is done for a few simple examples.

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  98. Making a difference: the clinical research programme for children. Rosalind L Smyth. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2007;92:835-837; doi:10.1136/adc.2006.113357. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Children in research. Description: This paper identifies ten highly cited research trials involving children and discusses how these trials have had an impact on practice. The authors also describe a recent initiative, the Medicines for Children Research Network.
  99. Meta-analysis and the meta-epidemiology of clinical research. Registration of trials should be required by editors and registering agencies [letter; comment]. Julian D. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7127); 311. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  100. Methods for confidence interval estimation of a ratio parameter with application to location quotients. J. Beyene, R. Moineddin. BMC Med Res Methodol 2005: 5; 32. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ConfidenceIntervals. Description: This article reviews the methods for computing a confidence interval for a ratio of two means and examines their performance using a simulation.
  101. Methods of correcting for multiple testing: operating characteristics. B. W. Brown, K. Russell. Statistics in Medicine 1997: 16(22); 2511-28. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article reviewed 17 different methods for adusting p-values, including the Bonferroni correction, in a computer simulation. There was no uniformly best approach, but as a group, four methods did appear to be better than the rest.
  102. Minimizing the three stages of publication bias. Chalmers TC, Frank CS, Reitman D. Jama 1990: 263(10); 1392-5. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  103. Misleading funnel plot for detection of bias in meta-analysis. Tang JL, Liu JL. J Clin Epidemiol 2000: 53(5); 477-84. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  104. Missed and delayed diagnoses in the ambulatory setting. E. S. Berner, R. A. Miller, M. L. Graber. Ann Intern Med 2007: 146(6); 470; author reply 470-1. [Medline] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: DiagnosticTesting. Description: This letter to the editor criticizes the use of malpractice claims to identify misdiagnosis rates.
  105. Molecular Classification of Cancer: Class Discovery and Class Prediction by Gene Expression. T.R. Golub, D.K. Slonim, P. Tamayo, C. Huard, M. Gaasenbeek, J.P. Mesirov, H. Coller, M. Loh, J.R. Downing, M.A. Caligiuri, C.D. Bloomfield, E.S. Lander. Science 1999: 286; 531-537. [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: DataMining. Description: This article provides an illustrative example of how to apply class discovery and class prediction in a microarray study. The data sets used in the paper are available on the abstract URL.
  106. More insight into the fate of biomedical meeting abstracts: a systematic review. Von Elm E, Costanza MC, Walder B, Tramer MR. BMC Med Res Methodol 2003: 3(1); 12. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  107. Multiple Publication of reports of Drug Trials. Gotzsche P. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1989: 36; 429-432. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.

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  108. Narrative evidence based medicine. Rita Charon, Peter Wyer, The NEBM Working Group. Lancet 2008: 371; 296-297. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Teaching resources. Description: This article discusses the need to combine the data-based emphasis of evidence based medicine with patient experiences, illness narratives, and other sources such as contemporary novels.
  109. No adjustments are needed for multiple comparisons. K. J. Rothman. Epidemiology 1990: 1(1); 43-6. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article argues strongly against the use of Bonferroni adjustments. The author derides the concept of a global null hypothesis and notes the serious increase in Type II errors that occur with Bonferroni adjustments.

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  110. Operating characteristics of a rank correlation test for publication bias. Begg CB, Mazumdar M. Biometrics 1994: 50(4); 1088-101. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  111. Operating the smokescreen. Abbasi K British Medical Journal 1998; 317: 7154. [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Excerpt: "Haven't you sold your soul to the devil?" I ask Dr Chris Proctor, the head of science and regulation at British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the major tobacco companies. He smiles back at me. "I don't think I have, and my kids don't think I have," he reassures himself.
  112. Overconfidence as a Cause of Diagnostic Error in Medicine. Eta S. Berner, Mark L. Graber. The American Journal of Medicine 2008: 121(5); S2-S23. [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: DiagnosticTesting. Description: This article proposes that a common source of misdiagnosis errors occur because of overconfidence and suggests strategies for reducing these types of errors.

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  113. Patient adherence to tuberculosis treatment: a systematic review of qualitative research. Munro SA, Lewin SA, Smith HJ, Engel ME, Fretheim A, Volmink J. PLoS Med 2007: 4(7); e238. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  114. Peer-reviewed publication of clinical trials completed for pediatric exclusivity. D. K. Benjamin, Jr., P. B. Smith, M. D. Murphy, R. Roberts, L. Mathis, D. Avant, R. M. Califf, J. S. Li. JAMA 2006: 296(10); 1266-73. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: This article examines research conducted under a new FDA rule, pediatric exclusivity, that offers a financial incentive for drug companies to produce research in pediatric populations for drugs that are approved for adults. A large amount of the research conducted under this rule remains unpublished.
  115. Permutation Tests for Joinpoint Regression with Applications to Cancer Rates. Hyune-Ju Kim, Michael P. Fay, Eric J. Feuer, Douglas N. Midthune. Statistics in Medicine 2000: 19(3); 335-351. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article provides an illustrative example of a regression model with an unknown transition points and controls the probability of a Type I error using a Bonferroni correction.
  116. Physicians' reasons for not entering eligible patients in a randomized clinical trial of surgery for breast cancer. KM Taylor, RG Margolese, CL Soskolne. N Engl J Med 1984: 310(21); 1363-7. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: AccrualProblems. Description: This article presents results of a survey asking physicians in a major clinical trial why they were not entering all eligible patients in that trial. The major reasons were concern about how the trial might alter the doctor-patient relationship, difficulty with informed consent, and discomfort with discussions about uncertainty.
  117. A plan to register unpublished studies [news]. Taubes G. Science 1997: 277(5333); 1754. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  118. Positive-Outcome Bias and Other Limitations in the Outcome of Research Abstracts Submitted to a Scientific Meeting. Callaham ML, Wears RL, Weber EJ, Barton C, Young G. JAMA 1998: 280(July 1998); 254-257. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  119. Problems in defining cutoff points of continuous prognostic factors: example of tumor thickness in primary cutaneous melanoma. P. Buettner, C. Garbe, I. Guggenmoos-Holzmann. Journal Clinical Epidemiology 1997: 50(11); 1201-10. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article shows how examining an optimized cutpoint for dichotomizing an independent variable effectively produces multiple hypothesis tests and leads to an inflation of the Type I error rate.
  120. Prospective, randomized evaluation of a personal digital assistant-based research tool in the emergency department. M. L. Rivera, J. Donnelly, B. A. Parry, A. Dinizio, C. L. Johnson, J. A. Kline, C. Kabrhel. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2008: 8(1); 3. [Medline] [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: DataManagement. Description: This article studied the use of a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for data collection. Compared to a paper form, the PDA was faster and more accurate.
  121. Publication and related bias in meta-analysis: power of statistical tests and prevalence in the literature. Sterne JA, Gavaghan D, Egger M. J Clin Epidemiol 2000: 53(11); 1119-29. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  122. Publication bias and clinical trials. Dickersin K, Chan S, Chalmers TC, Sacks HS, Smith H, Jr. Control Clin Trials 1987: 8(4); 343-53. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  123. Publication bias and meta-analysis. Smith M. Evaluation in Education: An International Review Series 1980: 4; 22-24. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  124. Publication Bias and Research on Passive Smoking: Comparison of Published and Unpublished Studies. Misakian AL, Bero LA. JAMA 1998: 280(3); 250-253. [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  125. Publication bias: evidence of delayed publication in a cohort study of clinical research projects. Stern J, Simes R. BMJ 1997: 315(7109); 640-5. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  126. Publication bias in clinical research. Easterbrook P, Berlin J, Gopalan R, Matthews D. Lancet 1991: 337; 867 - 872. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  127. Publication bias in gastroenterological research - a retrospective cohort study based on abstracts submitted to a scientific meeting. Timmer A, Hilsden RJ, Cole J, Hailey D, Sutherland LR. BMC Med Res Methodol 2002: 2(1); 7. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.

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  128. Qualitative study of decisions about infant feeding among women in east end of London. Hoddinott P, Pill R. British Medical Journal 1999: 318(7175); 30-4. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  129. Qualitative study of patients' perceptions of doctors' advice to quit smoking: implications for opportunistic health promotion. Butler CC, Pill R, Stott NC. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7148); 1878-81. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  130. The Quality of Drug Studies Published in Symposium Proceedings. Cho M, Bero L. Ann Intern Med 1996: 124; 485 - 489. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  131. Quantitative evaluation of multiplicity in epidemiology and public health research. K. J. Ottenbacher. Am J Epidemiol 1998: 147(7); 615-9. [Medline] [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article reviews 173 randomly selected epidemiology articles and demonstrates an increase in the Type I error rare when multiple statistical tests are run without any adjustment.
  132. Quasireplication and the contract of error: lessons from sex ratios, heritabilities and fluctuating asymmetry. A. Richard Palmer. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 2000: (31); 441-80. [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: This article promotes the use of funnel plots to identify selective reporting. The authors also encourage the use of true replication in research rather than quasireplication, replicating in a similar, but not identical species and systems.

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  133. Randomized clinical trials: what gets published, and when? Hirsch L. Cmaj 2004: 170(4); 481-3. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  134. Recognising meningococcal disease in primary care: qualitative study of how general practitioners process clinical and contextual information. Granier S, Owen P, Pill R, Jacobson L. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7127); 276-9. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  135. Record linkage research and informed consent: who consents? Nicole Huang , Shu-Fang Shih, Hsing-Yi Chang and Yiing-Jenq Chou. BMC Health Services Research 2007, 7:18 doi:10.1186/1472-6963-7-18. [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Exclusions in research. Description: Asking patients for permission before linking their data in a survey with health insurance records may be required from an ethical perspective, but it is well known to cause problems with selection bias. Those who agree to the linkage are different than those who refuse. In this study, researchers showed that age, income, literacy level, and other factors were different between patients who provided consent and those who did not provide consent.
  136. Redundant Publication: A Reminder. Kassirer JP, Angell M. New England Journal of Med 1995: 333(7); 449-450. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  137. Registering Clinical Trials. Dickersin K, PhD, MA, Drummond R, MD. Jama 2003: 290(4); 516-23. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  138. Research misconduct: can Australia learn from he UK’s stuttering system? Peter T Wilmshurst. MJA 2007; 186 (12): 662-663. [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Fraud in research. Description: Allegations of fraud are always controversial and carry with them the threat of litigation. One article was removed from the BMJ website because of the threat of a lawsuit. It turns out that there is a one year statute of limitations, but that does not apply to a web publication because it is constantly being republished.
  139. Retrospective and prospective identification of unpublished controlled trials: lessons from a survey of obstetricians and pediatricians. Hetherington J, Dickersin K, Chalmers I, Meinert CL. Pediatrics 1989: 84(2); 374-80. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  140. Review of randomised controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine. Tang JL, Zhan SY, Ernst E. Bmj 1999: 319(7203); 160-1. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  141. The risk of bias from omitted research: Evidence must be independently sought and free of economic interests. Garattini S. British Medical Journal 2000: 321; 845-846. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  142. Role of a research ethics committee in follow-up and publication of results. Pich J, Carné X, Arnaiz J-A, Gómez B, Trilla A, Rodés J. The Lancet 2003: 361(9362); [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  143. The role of clinical uncertainty in treatment decisions for diabetic patients with uncontrolled blood pressure. E. A. Kerr, B. J. Zikmund-Fisher, M. L. Klamerus, U. Subramanian, M. M. Hogan, T. P. Hofer. Ann Intern Med 2008: 148(10); 717-27. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: DiagnosticTesting. Description: This article examines the process of care for diabetic patients with elevated blood pressure. Clinicians frequently did not intensify the therapy, mostly because of uncertainty about what the true blood pressure would be. (Note: the PDF will not be freely available until December 2008).

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  144. Sample size and power estimation for studies with health related quality of life outcomes: a comparison of four methods using the SF-36. S. J. Walters. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2004: 2; 26. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: SampleSizeJustification. This article proposes three formulas for estimating sample size as well as a bootstrap method and then compares their performance using a quality of life outcome, SF-36.
  145. Scientific quality of original research articles on environmental tobacco smoke. Barnes D, Bero L. Tob Control 1997: 6; 19 - 26. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  146. Selecting the language of the publications included in a meta-analysis: is there a Tower of Babel bias? Gregoire G, Derderian F, Le Lorier J. J Clin Epidemiol 1995: 48(1); 159-63.. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  147. Simpson's Paradox, Lord's Paradox, and Suppression Effects are the same phenomenon - the reversal paradox. YK Tu, D Gunnell, Gilthorpe MS. Emerg Themes Epidemiol 2008: 5; 2. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: ModelingIssues. Description: This article provides a nice overview of how associations between two variables can be modified by a third variable.
  148. Some comments on frequently used multiple endpoint adjustment methods in clinical trials. A. J. Sankoh, M. F. Huque, S. D. Dubey. Stat Med 1997: 16(22); 2529-42. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article uses a computer simulation to examine the performance of several adjustments for multiple comparisons.
  149. Survey of claims of no effect in abstracts of Cochrane reviews. Phil Alderson, Iain Chalmers. BMJ 2003: 326(7387); 475. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: CriticalAppraisal. Description: This article notes that claims about "negative" results need to be phrased cautiously. In a review of 989 Cochrane reviews, the authors found 240 poorly worded interpretations of no difference or no effect.
  150. Systematic reviews in health care: Investigating and dealing with publication and other biases in meta-analysis. Sterne JA, Egger M, Smith GD. Bmj 2001: 323(7304); 101-5. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.

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  151. Time to publication of studies was not affected by whether results were positive [letter; comment]. Callaham ML, Weber E, Young G, Wears R, Barton C. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7143); 1536. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  152. Towards a feasible model for shared decision making: focus group study with general practice registrars. Elwyn G, Edwards A, Gwyn R, Grol R. British Medical Journal 1999: 319(7212); 753-756. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  153. Trial Registration at ClinicalTrials.gov between May and October 2005. D. A. Zarin, T. Tse, N. C. Ide. N Engl J Med 2005: 353(26); 2779-87. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: PublicationBias. Description: This article reviews trials registered at ClinicalTrials.gov after a mandate by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors to refuse publication of unregistered trials. While there was an increase in the number of trials published and the completeness of information provided, the information provided by major drug companies was still largely insufficient to make the registry useful.

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  154. The use of bootstrap methods for analysing Health-Related Quality of Life outcomes (particularly the SF-36). S. J. Walters, M. J. Campbell. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2004: 2; 70. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: UnusualData. The article provids an illustrative example of how to use the bootstrap method.
  155. Use of consensus development to establish national research priorities in critical care. Vella K, Goldfrad C, Rowan K, Bion J, Black N. British Medical Journal 2000: 320(7240); 976-980. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  156. The use of predicted confidence intervals when planning experiments and the misuse of power when interpreting results. Goodman S Annals of Internal Medicine 1994; 121(3): 200-206. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Post hoc power. Description: An early article written for doctors that explains why you should not calculate power after the experiment is completed. These calculations have, according to the authors, an "Alice-in-Wonderland feel" because they are guaranteed to confuse the issue.
  157. Unconventional cancer therapies: What we need is rigorous research, not closed minds. E. Ernst. Chest 2000: 117(2); 307-8. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: CriticalAppraisal. Description: This article notes the popularity of many complementary and alternative medicine techniques, but also warns of the lack of methodological rigor in many evaluations of these techniques. Rather than reject wholesale all of these techniques, these authors suggest that rigorous research is needed.
  158. Underreporting research is scientific misconduct. Chalmers I. Jama 1990: 263(10); 1405-8. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  159. Under-reporting of clinical trials is unethical. Antes G, Chalmers I. The Lancet 2003: 361(9362); [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  160. Understanding the culture of prescribing: qualitative study of general practitioners' and patients' perceptions of antibiotics for sore throats. Butler CC, Rollnick S, Pill R, Maggs-Rapport F, Stott N. British Medical Journal 1998: 317(7159); 637-42. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.
  161. Unpublished Research from a Medical Specialty Meeting: Why Investigators Fail to Publish. Weber EJ, Callaham ML, Wears RL, Barton C, Young G. JAMA 1998: 280(July 1998); 257-259. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.

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  162. Visibility of research: FUTON bias. Wentz R. Lancet 2002: 360(9341); 1256. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  163. Visual inspection with acetic acid as a cervical cancer test: accuracy validated using latent class analysis. Lynne Gaffikin , John A McGrath , Marc Arbyn and Paul D Blumenthal. BMC Medical Research Methodology 2007, 7:36 doi:10.1186/1471-2288-7-36. [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Diagnostic testing. Description: Estimating sensitivity and specificity is difficult when you have an imperfect gold standard to compare to the diagnostic test. Typically this causes biases that make sensitivity and specificity too large. This article shows an example of latent class analysis as a solution to this problem.

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  164. What constitutes a "clinical trial"?: A survey of oncology professionals. J. R. Wright, B. Kowaleski, J. Sussman. Trials 2008: 9; 12. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: RandomizationInResearch. Description: This article summarizes ths opinions of 66 oncology researchers on what constitutes a clinical trial. While the original responses were broadly inclusive, the responses became less inclusive when definitions of the Cancer Care Ontario and the Ontario Cancer Research Network groups were provided.
  165. What contributions do languages other than English make on the results of meta-analysis? Moher D, Pham, Klassen T, Schulz K, Berlin J, Jadad A, Liberati A. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2000: 53(9); 964-972.. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  166. What's wrong with Bonferroni adjustments. T. V. Perneger. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7139); 1236-8. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: MultipleComparisons. Description: This article criticizes the use of Bonferroni adjustments, arguing that they create more problems than they solve. The authors criticize the concept of a global null hypothesis and point out the increase in the risk of Type II errors.
  167. Why men with prostate cancer want wider access to prostate specific antigen testing: qualitative study. Chapple A, Ziebland S, Shepperd S, Miller R, Herxheimer A, McPherson A. Bmj 2002: 325(7367); 737. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Qualitative data. Description: This article is an illustrative example of a qualitative research study.

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  168. The XBabelPhish MAGE-ML and XML Translator. D. Maier, F. Wymore, G. Sherlock, C. A. Ball. BMC Bioinformatics 2008: 9(1); 28. [Medline] [Abstract] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: DataMining. Description: This article describes a program to translate among varying microarray data files using the MAGWE-ML standard.

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  169. The "3T's" road map to transform US health care: the "how" of high-quality care. D. Dougherty, P. H. Conway. JAMA 2008: 299(19); 2319-21. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: QualityControl. Description: This article outlines the three major translational steps needed to apply research to actual clinical care.

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Articles that serve as illustrative examples (incomplete)

Individual articles needing a description or excerpt

  1. Commentary: Searching for Trials for Systematic Reviews: What Difference Does it Make? Clarke M. International Journal of Epidemiology 2002: 31(1); 123-4. This article is cited in Category: Publication bias.
  2. Conflict of interest and the American Journal of Bioethics. K. A. Carroll, G. McGee. American Journal of Bioethics 2002: 2(3); 1-2. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: ConflictOfInterest. Description: Coming soon!

Individual articles not yet in the proper format

  1. Conflict-of-interest policies for investigators in clinical trials. Lo B, Wolf LE, Berkeley A. N Engl J Med 2000: 343(22); 1616-20. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  2. Conflict of interest policies in science and medical journals: editorial practices and author disclosures. Krimsky S, Rothenberg LS. Sci Eng Ethics 2001: 7(2); 205-18. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  3. Declaring financial competing interests: survey of five general medical journals. Hussain A, Smith R. British Medical Journal 2001: 323(7307); 263-4. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  4. Deficits in psychologic and classroom performance of children with elevated dentine lead levels. Needleman HL, Gunnoe C, Leviton A, Reed R, Peresie H, Maher C, Barrett P. N Engl J Med 1979: 300(13); 689-95. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  5. Disclosure and Disinterest. Kennedy D. Science Magazine 2004: 303(5654); 15. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  6. Disclosure policies for gifts from industry to academic faculty. Bero LA. Jama 1998: 279(13); 1031-2. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  7. Disclosure of Authors' Conflicts of Interest: A Follow-up. Angell M, Utiger R, Wood A. N Engl J Med 2000: 342; 586 - 587. [Medline] [Abstract]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  8. Does the type of competing interest statement affect readers' perceptions of the credibility of research? Randomised trial. Schroter S, Morris J, Chaudhry S, Smith R, Barratt H. Bmj 2004: 328(7442); 742-3. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  9. Economic incentives in clinical investigation. Relman AS. N Engl J Med 1989: 320(14); 933-4. [Medline]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  10. Editorials and Conflicts of Interest. Angell M, Kassirer JP. N Engl J Med 1996: 335(14); 1055-1056. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  11. Efficacy and safety of antidepressants for children and adolescents. Jureidini JN, Doecke CJ, Mansfield PR, Haby MM, Menkes DB, Tonkin AL. Bmj 2004: 328(7444); 879-83. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  12. Environmental lead and children's intelligence. Needleman HL. BMJ 1995: 310(6991); 1408a-. [Medline] [Full text]. This article is cited in Category: Conflict of interest. Description: coming soon.
  13. Ethics issues in academic-industry relationships in the life sciences: the continuing debate. Blumentha