Trim and fill: A simple funnel - plot based method of testing and adjusting for
publication bias in meta - analysis
Abstract: Using the p - curve method, we tested for
publication bias in research showing that sequential presentation of lineup suspects lowers the proportion of mistaken identifications in target - absent lineups.
Publication bias in scientific journals is widespread (Fanelli 2012).
For example, our results corroborate with others by showing that high impact journals typically report large effects based on small sample sizes (Fraley and Vazire 2014), and high impact journals have shown
publication bias in climate change research (Michaels 2008, and further discussed in Radetzki 2010).
This result opposes findings by Michaels (2008) and Reckova and Irsova (2015), which both found
publication bias in the global climate change literature, albeit with a smaller sample size for their meta - analysis and in other sub-disciplines of climate change science.
The issues and data here are no clearer than in a field like macroeconomics; there probably is more consistent
publication bias in climate science than in macroeconomics, though.
Begg's funnel plot indicating
no publication bias in the studies included in this meta - analysis.
Publication bias in clinical trials is the most thoroughly researched aspect of research integrity — having been discussed in detail for over 30 years.
In a statement, AI2's Marie Hagman, a senior product manager who oversees Semantic Scholar, said: «I think the fact that there are no women in the Top 10 authors by the highly influential citation analysis done by AI2 is spotlighting the well - reported problem of
publication bias in science and in the context of the current global conversation on gender.
Simon Festing says that reducing
publication bias in animal research would ensure a sound basis to move from animal studies...
One 2008 study, for instance, analyzed 16 papers investigating
publication bias in randomized clinical trials and found clear indications of selective publication.
This is true for a number of reasons, one of which is the well known
publication bias in favor of studies that conclude in favor of a new hypothesis.
Although numerous reviews have examined the credibility of climate researchers (Anderegg et al. 2010), the scientific consensus on climate change (Doran and Kendall Zimmerman 2009) and the complexity of media reporting (Corner et al. 2012), few studies have undertaken an empirical review of the publication record to evaluate the existence of
publication biases in climate change science.
Not exact matches
As an historian with may
publications and awards I have suspected that Limbaugh is
biased in a manner that reflects his lack of depth and integrity
in his voicing of his views.
In an ideal world, systematic reviews provide access to all the available evidence on specific exposure — disease associations, but
publication bias related to authors» conflicts of interest may affect the reliability of the conclusions of such studies.
We examined plots visually to see whether there was any evidence of asymmetry that might suggest different treatment effects
in smaller studies, which may indicate
publication bias (Harbord 2006).
Where there were 10 or more studies
in the meta - analysis, we investigated reporting
biases (such as
publication bias) using funnel plots.
«
In my position, I wouldn't
bias the hiring [of a scientist] based on
publications because it's not an academic position.
But JNRBM meets two important needs
in science reporting: the need to combat the positive spin known as
publication bias and the need to make other scientists feel better about themselves.
The Cochrane group has also put a focus on transparency
in science: It argued that
publication bias had left Tamiflu looking better than it really was.
Or for experiments
in a field that is highly politicised [sic] or
biased, so that finding the «wrong result» under the status quo could delay
publication of your paper for months or even years.»
One of the many emerging initiatives trying to address
bias in both research and
publication is the option to get a research idea and protocol accepted by a journal before actually conducting the experiments, with the promise that the journal will later publish the results regardless of the outcome.
The reality is this: the science
in the 2015 paper is impeccable and has been replicated and confirmed by other research groups publishing
in peer - reviewed journals; data used
in the paper were not experimental,
biased or improperly archived; and the paper was not rushed to
publication.
Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis, one of the six dissenters, protested
in a confidential letter — leaked to the journal Science — that the information presented at the NSABB meeting was
biased towards
publication.
Psychologists also tackled problems of
publication bias head - on, he said, referring to a tendency for studies that are new and flashy to get more space
in the journals than replications of previous work; that's the case even though replications are what show that science is strong.
We also don't know what the real
publication bias was
in human trials, so it's hard to compare what has changed.
Approximately equal numbers of women and men enter and graduate from medical school
in the United States and United Kingdom.1 2 In northern and eastern European countries such as Russia, Finland, Hungary, and Serbia, women account for more than 50 % of the active physicians3; in the United Kingdom and United States, they represent 47 % and 33 % respectively.4 5 Even in Japan, the nation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with the lowest percentage of female physicians, representation doubled between 1986 and 2012.3 6 However, progress in academic medicine continues to lag, with women accounting for less than 30 % of clinical faculty overall and for less than 20 % of those at the highest grade or in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
in the United States and United Kingdom.1 2
In northern and eastern European countries such as Russia, Finland, Hungary, and Serbia, women account for more than 50 % of the active physicians3; in the United Kingdom and United States, they represent 47 % and 33 % respectively.4 5 Even in Japan, the nation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with the lowest percentage of female physicians, representation doubled between 1986 and 2012.3 6 However, progress in academic medicine continues to lag, with women accounting for less than 30 % of clinical faculty overall and for less than 20 % of those at the highest grade or in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
In northern and eastern European countries such as Russia, Finland, Hungary, and Serbia, women account for more than 50 % of the active physicians3;
in the United Kingdom and United States, they represent 47 % and 33 % respectively.4 5 Even in Japan, the nation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with the lowest percentage of female physicians, representation doubled between 1986 and 2012.3 6 However, progress in academic medicine continues to lag, with women accounting for less than 30 % of clinical faculty overall and for less than 20 % of those at the highest grade or in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
in the United Kingdom and United States, they represent 47 % and 33 % respectively.4 5 Even
in Japan, the nation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with the lowest percentage of female physicians, representation doubled between 1986 and 2012.3 6 However, progress in academic medicine continues to lag, with women accounting for less than 30 % of clinical faculty overall and for less than 20 % of those at the highest grade or in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
in Japan, the nation
in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with the lowest percentage of female physicians, representation doubled between 1986 and 2012.3 6 However, progress in academic medicine continues to lag, with women accounting for less than 30 % of clinical faculty overall and for less than 20 % of those at the highest grade or in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with the lowest percentage of female physicians, representation doubled between 1986 and 2012.3 6 However, progress
in academic medicine continues to lag, with women accounting for less than 30 % of clinical faculty overall and for less than 20 % of those at the highest grade or in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
in academic medicine continues to lag, with women accounting for less than 30 % of clinical faculty overall and for less than 20 % of those at the highest grade or
in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
in leadership positions.7 - 9 Understanding the extent to which this underrepresentation affects high impact research is critical because of the implicit
bias it introduces to the research agenda, influencing future clinical practice.10 11 Given the importance of
publication for tenure and promotion, 12 women's
publication in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to clos
in high impact journals also provides insights into the degree to which the gender gap can be expected to close.
Her recent work explores the impact of
publication bias on progress
in ecology and the composition of the ecological community with respect to gender and international representation.
This means that studies that show there is no difference
in anti-depressant medication and placebo is left out of the body of literature, favouring a
bias for positive
publications,
publications that find anti-depressants work.
I'm talking about Michael Winerip who, to the best of my knowledge, is the single worst education reporter
in America, infamous for
biased hatchet jobs on NCLB, Bloomberg and Klein's reforms, and anything else associated with genuine reform (if anyone is aware of someone worse at a major
publication, please let me know — maybe I'll start a Reporter Hall of Shame...)
Other
publications have addressed race and sex
bias in educational practice and research.
I also should note that researchers
in this study clearly conducted this study with similar a priori conclusions
in mind (i.e., that the Common Core should be saved / promoted); hence, future peer review of this piece may be out of the question as the
bias evident
in the sets of findings would certainly be a «methodological issue,» again, likely preventing a peer - reviewed
publication (see, for example, the a priori conclusion that «[this] study highlights an important advantage of having a common set of standards and assessments across multiple states,»
in the abstract (p. 3).
Because while there are lot of sites out there geared to writers
in general,
in my experience as an indie author I found that they're tended to be quite a bit of
bias and stigma against the self published authors at some of the those other writer sites which were really mostly populated by people interested
in pursuing a traditional
publication path.
Publication bias could have a part to play
in the disappointing performance of popular equity indicators.
But I have a feeling the art market is going to be
biased for a long time, despite the heartening progress that 20th - and 21st - century women artists have made
in university galleries,
in publications, and
in museums.
There are more degrees of freedom
in publication bias alone than the 30 - year averaged global temperature over the instrumental record.
«The
publication is deemed clearly contrary to the standards of good scientific practice... there has been such perversion of the scientific message
in the form of systematically
biased representation that the objective criteria for upholding scientific dishonesty... have been met.»
This phenomenon, known collectively as
publication bias, is seen
in a variety of scientific disciplines and can erode public trust
in the scientific method and the validity of scientific theories.
We tested the hypothesis of
bias in climate change
publications stemming from the under - reporting of non-significant results (Rosenthal 1979) using fail - safe sample sizes, funnel plots, and diagnostic patterns of variability
in effect sizes (Begg and Mazumdar 1994; Palmer 1999, 2000; Rosenberg 2005).
Results of our meta - analysis found no evidence of
publication bias,
in contrast to prior studies that were based on smaller sample sizes than used here (e.g., Michaels 2008; Reckova and Irsova 2015).
Extreme
publication bias (caused by under - reporting of non-significant results) would appear as a hole or data gap
in a funnel plot.
Reckova and Irsova (2015) also detected a
publication bias after analyzing 16 studies of carbon dioxide concentrations
in the atmosphere and changes
in global temperature.
They want to find errors
in the earlier
publications to have better change of getting their own work valued, and this wish is not strongly
biased in either direction.
Curry provides a highly
biased and skewed overview of climate sensitivity studies, which makes sense for
publication in the Wall Street Journal.
I have seen first hand,
biases in the process of selecting articles for
publication.
I also raised concerns about
bias; here we apparently see Tom Karl's thumb on the scale
in terms of the methodologies and procedures used
in this
publication.
I wouldn't doubt that there would be influences and
biases in the process by which journal articles are selected for
publication — my doubt is when overly broad or categorical statements are made about the vast «asymmetry.»
In this case, we proved that the due diligence had been inadequate by identifying a bias that subsequently warranted publication in Natur
In this case, we proved that the due diligence had been inadequate by identifying a
bias that subsequently warranted
publication in Natur
in Nature.
This is one area, where the scientific
publications are often written
in a way that appears to give justification for thinking that they are
biased.
The author cautioned that due to possible «
publication bias», the reported success
in 50 % of cases should not be taken «as evidence of an overall biochar likelihood of producing positive impacts».