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Cited by 383

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 71 of the 71 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Accounting for Imperfect Detection in Ecology: A Quantitative Review

Open access
Kellner, Kenneth F., Swihart, Robert K.·2014·PLoS ONE

Abstract

Detection in studies of species abundance and distribution is often imperfect. Assuming perfect detection introduces bias into estimation that can weaken inference upon which understanding and policy are based. Despite availability of numerous methods designed to address this assumption, many refereed papers in ecology fail to account for non-detection error. We conducted a quantitative literature review of 537 ecological articles to measure the degree to which studies of different taxa, at various scales, and over time have accounted for imperfect detection. Overall, just 23% of articles accounted for imperfect detection. The probability that an article incorporated imperfect detection increased with time and varied among taxa studied; studies of vertebrates were more likely to incorporate imperfect detection. Among articles that reported detection probability, 70% contained per-survey estimates of detection that were less than 0.5. For articles in which constancy of detection was tested, 86% reported significant variation. We hope that our findings prompt more ecologists to consider carefully the detection process when designing studies and analyzing results, especially for sub-disciplines where incorporation of imperfect detection in study design and analysis so far has been lacking.

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Metadata

Authors
Kellner, K. F., & Swihart, R. K.
Venue
PLoS ONE
Published
2014-10-30
Volume
9
Issue
10
Pages
e111436
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1979985371
Cited by
383
References
71
FWCI
12.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
gold

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Accounting for Imperfect Detection in Ecology: A Quantitative Review. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1371/journal.pone.0111436
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Kellner, K. F., & Swihart, R. K. (2014). Accounting for Imperfect Detection in Ecology: A Quantitative Review. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111436

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