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The causes, consequences and detection of publication bias in psychiatry
Author(s) -
Gilbody Simon M.,
Song Fujian,
Eastwood Alison J.,
Sutton Alex
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2000.102004241.x
Subject(s) - funnel plot , publication bias , sampling bias , psychology , sample size determination , sample (material) , meta analysis , psychiatry , medicine , econometrics , statistics , mathematics , chemistry , chromatography
Objective: Publication bias threatens the validity of published research, although this topic has received little attention in psychiatry. The purpose of this article is to produce a systematic overview of the causes and consequences of publication bias and to summarize the available methods with which it is detected and corrected. Method: Empirical evidence for the existence of publication bias is reviewed and the following methods are applied to an illustrative case example from psychiatry: funnel plot analysis; the ‘file drawer method’; linear regression techniques; rank correlation; ‘trim and fill’. Results: Small studies are particularly susceptible to publication and related bias. All methods to detect publication bias depend upon the availability of a number of individual studies with a range of sample sizes. Unfortunately, large numbers of studies of varying sample size are not always available in many areas of psychiatric research. Conclusion: Where possible researchers should always test for the presence of publication bias. The problem of publication bias will not be solved by anything other than a prospective trials register.