Bias in Analytic Research (Sackett, 1979 - but seems to be a classic)

[Dolphin]

I came across the following in some recent paper/factsheet - I think it was advice on getting a paper published:

J Chronic Dis. 1979;32(1-2):51-63.

Bias in analytic research.

Sackett DL.

PMID: 447779 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Full free text:
http://www.epidemiology.ch/history/PDF bg/Sackett DL 1979 bias in analytic research.pdf

This sentence summarises it:

To date we have cataloged 35 biases that arise in sampling and measurement (see the appendix) and nine of these will be discussed here:

There are probably two ways to read the paper:
(i) read the whole paper through
(ii) just read: APPENDIX. A CATALOG OF BIASES

The latter is quite short. It gives names for lots of different types of bias one might think of but not have names for (one could reference this paper when naming them).
I think at least a few are commonly named something else now but one could probably still use the names here.

Most of them I understood but a few I would have preferred a bit more detail to be sure exactly what was being said.

Reading the full paper probably helped me understand better the nine that are expanded on (i.e. if you didn't read the full paper, it might harder to simply read some of the Appendix).

The main paper takes a bit more thought. It doesn't require mathematical knowledge as such but require one to think through the numerical examples. Anyway, one doesn't have to read it to read the Appendix.

 

[Esther12]

Thanks D.

I tried copying and pasting the appendix over here, as the PDF is a bit hard to read, but it was so difficult to identify words that a lot of them came out garbled by the type identification software... darn it.

I'll try to go back to it when my head's feeling a bit clearer.

 

[Dolphin]

Thanks E12.

I went looking to see if it was in plain text anywhere: I copied a phrase and it brought me to:

http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2005/jan/04_0050.htm or http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2005/jan/pdf/04_0050.pdf
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
A Catalog of Biases in Questionnaires

Bernard C.K. Choi, PhD, Anita W.P. Pak, PhD

Suggested citation for this article: Choi BCK, Pak AWP. A catalog of biases in questionnaires. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2005 Jan [date cited]. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2005/
jan/04_0050.htm.

which looks useful.

 

[Dolphin]

Another article I came across searching for a phrase from that article, which also gives types of biases is:
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/tropej/online/ce_ch13.pdf
from a section of Research Methods: http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/tropej/online/ce.html

 

[Esther12]

The trouble with you Dolphin, is that you're always coming up with ways of doing things rather than excuses for not! It makes my own failings far too apparent.

Thanks for the links though, they do look interesting... I'm still planning to curl up in bed with the radio prior to looking at any of them though!

 

[Dolphin]

The trouble with you Dolphin, is that you're always coming up with ways of doing things rather than excuses for not! It makes my own failings far too apparent.

Thanks/Sorry/?
I do live with my parents who do all the chores, etc. which frees me up.

Thanks for the links though, they do look interesting... I'm still planning to curl up in bed with the radio prior to looking at any of them though!

Well done on at least planning to do that.

I like having names for biases - I can sometimes spot them but often wouldn't know if there was a specific name for it.
I think it's much easier using a name for a bias rather than trying to describe/explain it from scratch. Also, it puts "experts" more on the back foot, I think (while if we try to simply describe it without knowing the jargon, it could seem a little amateurish).

 

[Esther12]

When I moved out from my parents, it was a bit of a shock how much energy doing all of the little things takes... and it means that being too tired to cook is a much more serious problem too! Not that living with my parents was non-stop fun and games either.

 

[RustyJ]

Thanks Dolphin. Very informative.