The Misuse and Abuse of Statistics in Biomedical Research

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arnold ZC ; Thiese MS ; Walker SD
• Description:
  Statistics are the primary tools for assessing relationships and evaluating study questions. Unfortunately, these tools are often misused, either inadvertently because of ignorance or lack of planning, or conspicuously to achieve a specified result. Data abuses include the incorrect application of statistical tests, lack of transparency and disclosure about decisions that are made, incomplete or incorrect multivariate model building, or exclusion of outliers. Individually, each of these actions may completely invalidate a study, and often studies are victim to more than one offense. Increasingly there are tools and guidance for researchers to look to, including the development of an analysis plan and a series of study specific checklists, in order to prevent or mitigate these offenses. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Analytical Methods Analytical Plan Author Keywords: A Priori Biostatistics Disclosure Medical Research Statistical Analysis Statistical Methods Statistical Quality Control Transparency
• ISSN:
  1330-0962
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 8 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5-11
• Volume:
  25
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067353
• Citation:
  Biochem Med 2015 Feb; 25(1):5-11
• Contact Point Address:
  Matthew S. Thiese, Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
• Email:
  matt.thiese@hsc.utah.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Biochemia Medica
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cfb31668108768a2d6e4dc23c12956f2a1e6b1bc9092a58f8ae5a1eac31f04e53fe92c036a54efe0d46767dc25ccb41f363e8e5be8b50b27bc878e6dde4eb1b3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230883/cdc_230883_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 402.21 KB ]