Just as biases can distort individual tests of treatments and lead to false conclusions, so they can also distort reviews of evidence. For example, researchers can simply ‘cherry pick’ those studies which they know will support the treatment claims they wish to make.
To avoid these problems, plans for systematic reviews, as for individual research studies, should be set out in research protocols. Protocols need to make clear what measures researchers will take to reduce biases and the effects of the play of chance during the process of preparing the reviews.
These will include specifying which questions about treatments the review will address; the criteria that make studies eligible for inclusion in the review; the ways in which potentially eligible studies will be identified; and the steps that will be taken to minimize biases in selecting studies for inclusion in the review, and for analysing the data.
GET-IT provides plain language definitions of health research terms
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
