ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2022
Protecting against researcher bias in secondary data analysis: challenges and potential solutions.
Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- What Makes Parents of Young Children Stressed? A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2026Pooled it
- Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology using Mendelian randomization (STROBE-MR): a Korean translation of explanation and elaboration.Ewha medical journal · 2025Guideline
- Overinterpretation of findings in machine learning prediction model studies in oncology: a systematic review.Journal of clinical epidemiology · 2023Pooled it
- Concerns Regarding Methodology and Interpretation in "Analysis of Scientific Publications on the Gaza-Israeli Conflict".Bioethics · 2026Article
- Selecting Between Whole-Sample and Split-Sample Strategies for Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses: Guidance for Psychometric Scale Development.Applied psychological measurement · 2026Article
- A Platform for Automatic Extraction of Imaging Biomarkers in CT Scans from Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke Patients.Journal of imaging informatics in medicine · 2026Article
- Charting the Scientific Landscape of Indirect Estimation Models in Doping Prevalence Research: A Bibliometric Analysis with Narrative Appraisal.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Australian neonatal nurses' professional quality of life: A descriptive cross-sectional study.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community · 2026Article
- Epidemiological, Clinical, and Socioenvironmental Characteristics of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Cases in the Xakriabá Indigenous Population, Brazil.Acta parasitologica · 2026Observational
- An investigation of discrepancies in outcome reporting and selective reporting bias in interrupted time series studies of health interventions: a methodological study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Challenges and future directions for Mendelian randomization.Nature genetics · 2026Review
- Expressive pragmatic language in mood and psychotic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Comment on "Development and Validation of Risk Assessment Model for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Based on a Retrospective Study with Machine Learning Algorithms".International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Respiratory syncytial virus in infants ≤2 months in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era: shifting patterns and outcomes.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Representativeness of a German AI-enabled data network for secondary epidemiological analysis based on electronic health records.PloS one · 2026Article
- Bridging gaps between scientific research and regulatory decision-making in Europe: roles of academia, risk assessors, and policymakers.Frontiers in toxicology · 2026Article
- What It Takes to Manage Change: A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Managers' Role Perceptions in Supporting and Sustaining TeamSTEPPS Implementation.Journal of healthcare leadership · 2026Article
- Navigating Ambiguity and Uncertainty in End-of-Life Care Research Practice.Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE · 2025Article
- Illustrating an Adaptive Prespecification Framework for Observational Research: Target Trial Emulations Comparing Immunomodulator Treatments for COVID-19.Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- Prognostic nomogram for overall survival in rectal cancer with synchronous lung metastases using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data and a single-center external validation cohort.Journal of gastrointestinal oncology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Analysis of secondary data sources (such as cohort studies, survey data, and administrative records) has the potential to provide answers to science and society's most pressing questions. However, researcher biases can lead to questionable research practices in secondary data analysis, which can distort the evidence base. While pre-registration can help to protect against researcher biases, it presents challenges for secondary data analysis. In this article, we describe these challenges and propose novel solutions and alternative approaches. Proposed solutions include approaches to (1) address bias linked to prior knowledge of the data, (2) enable pre-registration of non-hypothesis-driven research, (3) help ensure that pre-registered analyses will be appropriate for the data, and (4) address difficulties arising from reduced analytic flexibility in pre-registration. For each solution, we provide guidance on implementation for researchers and data guardians. The adoption of these practices can help to protect against researcher bias in secondary data analysis, to improve the robustness of research based on existing data.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.