Identifying and Avoiding Bias in Research
Open accessAbstract
This narrative review provides an overview on the topic of bias as part of a series of articles in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery on evidence-based medicine. Bias can occur in the planning, data collection, analysis, and publication phases of research. Understanding research bias allows readers to critically and independently review the scientific literature and avoid treatments that are suboptimal or potentially harmful. A thorough understanding of bias and how it affects study results is essential for the practice of evidence-based medicine.
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The purposeful selection seen within the reviewed studies could pose concerns of selection bias, which may constitute unreliable and over-inflated results.
“However, the purposeful selection seen within the reviewed studies could pose some concerns of selection bias, which may constitute unreliable and over-inflated results (Pannucci and Wilkins, 2010).”
From Group-based mindfulness interventions in prisons: a selective critical review (2024) · cites this paper as Pannucci and Wilkins, 2010
The differences in muscle strength results between current and past literatures are likely related to study design, conduct, and control because well-designed studies tend to get smaller effects and reducing bias over the years.
“These differences are likely to be related to study design, conduct, and control because well-designed studies tend to get smaller effects and reducing bias over the years (70).”
From Resistance training load effects on muscle hypertrophy and strength gain: systematic review and network meta-analysis. (2021) · cites this paper as [70]
Because most included studies were cross-sectional, the review cannot establish that online social networking causes depression.
“due to the high prevalence of cross-sectional studies, it is not possible to determine causation.57”
From The Relationship Between Online Social Networking and Depression: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies (2016) · cites this paper as [57]
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- Authors
- Pannucci, C. J., & Wilkins, E. G.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Published
- 2010-08
- Volume
- 126
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 619-625
- ISSN
- 0032-1052 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2917255
- OpenAlex
- W2007233978
- Cited by
- 1,079
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 54 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 110 · 2023: 130 · 2022: 132 · 2021: 116 · 2020: 87 · 2019: 68 · 2018: 70 · 2017: 61 · 2016: 60 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM008616)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Methodologies in Health Research and Practice
- Keywords
- research bias, publication bias, critical appraisal, evidence-based medicine
- MeSH terms
- Clinical Trials as Topic, Female, Humans, Male, Surgery, Plastic, United States, Bias, Publication Bias, Evidence-Based Medicine, Plastic Surgery Procedures, Biomedical Research
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