Publication Bias

By Deane Barker

The outcome of a situation being described often influences whether or not to publicize it. Published studies and narratives usually have distinct conclusions or solutions, leading to the perception that more things are clear-cut and ambiguous.

Examples

Very rarely is a peer-reviewed study published that doesn’t have a specific finding. No one publishes studies where nothing happened. This sometimes causes researchers to invent or influence data to produce a conclusion so they can achieve publication.

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