- Framework of problems / Comprehensive
- Poor consideration of publication bias
- In an empirical evaluation of the funnel plot, researchers could not visually identify publication bias
| Ref ID | 365 |
| First Author | N. Terrin |
| Journal | JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY |
| Year Of Publishing | 2005 |
| URL | https://www.jclinepi.com/article/S0895-4356(05)00082-X/fulltext |
| Keywords |
Publication bias Heterogeneity General medical |
| Problem(s) |
Poor consideration of publication bias Inadequate analysis of heterogeneity |
| Number of systematic reviews included | 10 |
| Summary of Findings | On average, 41 medical researchers correctly identified 52.5% (95% CI 50.6–54.4%) of the funnel plots as being affected or unaffected by publication bias. The weighted mean percent correct, which adjusted for the fact that asymmetric plots are more likely to occur in the presence of publication bias, was also low (48.3 to 62.8%, depending on the presence or absence of publication bias and heterogeneous study effects). Researchers who assess for publication bias using the funnel plot may be misled by its shape. |
| Did the article find that the problem(s) led to qualitative changes in interpretation of the results? | Not Applicable |
| Are the methods of the article described in enough detail to replicate the study? | No |