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January 15, 1992, Vol 267, No. 3 >
ARTICLE | January 15, 1992

Factors Influencing Publication of Research Results: Title and subTitle BreakFollow-up of Applications Submitted to Two Institutional Review Boards FREE

Kay Dickersin, PhD; Yuan-I Min, MPH, MHS; Curtis L Meinert, PhD
[+] Author Affiliations

Reprint requests to Department of Ophthalmology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 419 W Redwood St, Suite 460, Baltimore, MD 21201 (Dr Dickersin).


JAMA. 1992;267(3):374-378. doi:10.1001/jama.1992.03480030052036
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References

Objective.  —To investigate factors associated with the publication of research findings, in particular, the association between "significant" results and publication.

Design.  —Follow-up study.

Setting.  —Studies approved in 1980 or prior to 1980 by the two institutional review boards that serve The Johns Hopkins Health Institutions—one that serves the School of Medicine and Hospital and the other that serves the School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Population.  —A total of 737 studies were followed up.

Results.  —Of the studies for which analyses had been reported as having been performed at the time of interview, 81% from the School of Medicine and Hospital and 66% from the School of Hygiene and Public Health had been published. Publication was not associated with sample size, presence of a comparison group, or type of study (eg, observational study vs clinical trial). External funding and multiple data collection sites were positively associated with publication. There was evidence of publication bias in that for both institutional review boards there was an association between results reported to be significant and publication (adjusted odds ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.63 to 3.94). Contrary to popular opinion, publication bias originates primarily with investigators, not journal editors: only six of the 124 studies not published were reported to have been rejected for publication.

Conclusion.  —There is a statistically significant association between significant results and publication.(JAMA. 1992;267:374-378)

REFERENCES

1 +
Berlin JA, Begg CB, Louis TA.  An assessment of publication bias using a sample of published clinical trials. J Am Stat Assoc. 1989;;84:381-392.
2 +
Cole JR, Zuckerman H.  Marriage, motherhood, and research performance in science. Sci Am. 1987;;256:119-125.
3 +
Davidson RA.  Source of funding and outcome of clinical trials. J Gen Intern Med . 1986;;1:155-158.
4 +
Zuckerman H, Cole JR.  Women in American science. Minerva . 1975;;13:82-102.
5 +
Zuckerman H, Merton RK.  Patterns of evaluation in science: institutionalization, structure and functions of the referee system. Minerva . 1971;;9:66-100.
6 +
Chalmers I, Adams M, Dickersin K, et al.  A cohort study of summary reports of controlled trials. JAMA . 1990;;263:1401-1405.
7 +
Angell M.  Negative studies. N Engl J Med . 1989;;321:464-466.
8 +
Dickersin K.  The existence of publication bias and risk factors for its occurrence. JAMA . 1990;;263:1385-1389.
9 +
Chalmers I.  Underreporting research is scientific misconduct. JAMA . 1990;;263:1405-1408.
10 +
Chalmers TC, Frank CS, Reitman D.  Minimizing the three stages of publication bias. JAMA . 1990;;263:1392-1395.
11 +
Begg CB, Berlin JA.  Publication bias: a problem in interpreting medical data. J R Stat Soc A . 1988;;151:419-463.
12 +
Simes RJ.  Publication bias: the case for an international registry of clinical trials. J Clin Oncol . 1986;;41:1529-1541.
13 +
Dickersin K, Chan S, Chalmers TC, Sacks HS, Smith H Jr.  Publication bias and clinical trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1987;;8:343-353.
14 +
Public Health Service. List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus . Bethesda, Md: National Library of Medicine; 1988;. US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare publication 88-267.
15 +
 Basic concepts of assessment of risk.  In: Schlesselman JJ. Case-Control Studies: Design, Conduct, Analysis . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1982;:33-34.
16 +
SAS Institute. SAS Release 5.18 . Cary, NC: SAS Institute; 1986;.
17 +
Breslow NE, Day NE. Statistical Methods in Cancer Research, I: The Analysis of Case-Control Studies . Lyons, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1980;:192-246. Scientific publication 32.
18 +
Wilson JD.  Peer review and publication. J Clin Invest . 1978;;61:1697-1701.
19 +
Relman AS.  Journals.  In: Warren K, ed. Coping With the Biomedical Literature: A Primer for the Scientist and the Clinician . New York, NY: Praeger Publishers; 1981;:67-78.
20 +
 Research: a personal survey.  In: Lock S. A Difficult Balance: Editorial Peer Review in Medicine . Philadelphia, Pa: ISI Press; 1985;:56-71.
21 +
Easterbrook PJ, Berlin JA, Gopalan R, Matthews DR.  Publication bias in clinical research. Lancet . 1991;;337:867-872.
22 +
Chalmers I, ed. The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1988;.
23 +
Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group. Treatment of Early Breast Cancer, I: Worldwide Evidence 1985-1990 . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1990;.
24 +
Chalmers I, Hetherington J, Newdick M, et al.  The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials: developing a register of published reports of controlled trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1986;;7:306-324.
25 +
Easterbrook P.  Reducing publication bias. BMJ . 1987;;295:1347.
26 +
Dickersin K.  Report from the Panel on the Case for Registers of Clinical Trials at the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Society for Clinical Trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1988;;9:76-81.
27 +
Meinert CL.  Toward prospective registration of clinical trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1988;;9:1-5.
28 +
Hetherington J, Dickersin K, Chalmers I, Meinert C.  Retrospective and prospective identification of unpublished and published controlled trials: lessons from a survey of obstetricians and pediatricians. Pediatrics . 1989;;84:374-380.
29 +
Ensayos Clinícos en España. Serie Monografías Técnicas del Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo . Madrid, Spain: Ed Direccíon General de Farmacia y Productos Sanitarios; 1990;. No. 17.

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1 +
Berlin JA, Begg CB, Louis TA.  An assessment of publication bias using a sample of published clinical trials. J Am Stat Assoc. 1989;;84:381-392.
2 +
Cole JR, Zuckerman H.  Marriage, motherhood, and research performance in science. Sci Am. 1987;;256:119-125.
3 +
Davidson RA.  Source of funding and outcome of clinical trials. J Gen Intern Med . 1986;;1:155-158.
4 +
Zuckerman H, Cole JR.  Women in American science. Minerva . 1975;;13:82-102.
5 +
Zuckerman H, Merton RK.  Patterns of evaluation in science: institutionalization, structure and functions of the referee system. Minerva . 1971;;9:66-100.
6 +
Chalmers I, Adams M, Dickersin K, et al.  A cohort study of summary reports of controlled trials. JAMA . 1990;;263:1401-1405.
7 +
Angell M.  Negative studies. N Engl J Med . 1989;;321:464-466.
8 +
Dickersin K.  The existence of publication bias and risk factors for its occurrence. JAMA . 1990;;263:1385-1389.
9 +
Chalmers I.  Underreporting research is scientific misconduct. JAMA . 1990;;263:1405-1408.
10 +
Chalmers TC, Frank CS, Reitman D.  Minimizing the three stages of publication bias. JAMA . 1990;;263:1392-1395.
11 +
Begg CB, Berlin JA.  Publication bias: a problem in interpreting medical data. J R Stat Soc A . 1988;;151:419-463.
12 +
Simes RJ.  Publication bias: the case for an international registry of clinical trials. J Clin Oncol . 1986;;41:1529-1541.
13 +
Dickersin K, Chan S, Chalmers TC, Sacks HS, Smith H Jr.  Publication bias and clinical trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1987;;8:343-353.
14 +
Public Health Service. List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus . Bethesda, Md: National Library of Medicine; 1988;. US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare publication 88-267.
15 +
 Basic concepts of assessment of risk.  In: Schlesselman JJ. Case-Control Studies: Design, Conduct, Analysis . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1982;:33-34.
16 +
SAS Institute. SAS Release 5.18 . Cary, NC: SAS Institute; 1986;.
17 +
Breslow NE, Day NE. Statistical Methods in Cancer Research, I: The Analysis of Case-Control Studies . Lyons, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1980;:192-246. Scientific publication 32.
18 +
Wilson JD.  Peer review and publication. J Clin Invest . 1978;;61:1697-1701.
19 +
Relman AS.  Journals.  In: Warren K, ed. Coping With the Biomedical Literature: A Primer for the Scientist and the Clinician . New York, NY: Praeger Publishers; 1981;:67-78.
20 +
 Research: a personal survey.  In: Lock S. A Difficult Balance: Editorial Peer Review in Medicine . Philadelphia, Pa: ISI Press; 1985;:56-71.
21 +
Easterbrook PJ, Berlin JA, Gopalan R, Matthews DR.  Publication bias in clinical research. Lancet . 1991;;337:867-872.
22 +
Chalmers I, ed. The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1988;.
23 +
Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group. Treatment of Early Breast Cancer, I: Worldwide Evidence 1985-1990 . New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc; 1990;.
24 +
Chalmers I, Hetherington J, Newdick M, et al.  The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials: developing a register of published reports of controlled trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1986;;7:306-324.
25 +
Easterbrook P.  Reducing publication bias. BMJ . 1987;;295:1347.
26 +
Dickersin K.  Report from the Panel on the Case for Registers of Clinical Trials at the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Society for Clinical Trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1988;;9:76-81.
27 +
Meinert CL.  Toward prospective registration of clinical trials. Controlled Clin Trials . 1988;;9:1-5.
28 +
Hetherington J, Dickersin K, Chalmers I, Meinert C.  Retrospective and prospective identification of unpublished and published controlled trials: lessons from a survey of obstetricians and pediatricians. Pediatrics . 1989;;84:374-380.
29 +
Ensayos Clinícos en España. Serie Monografías Técnicas del Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo . Madrid, Spain: Ed Direccíon General de Farmacia y Productos Sanitarios; 1990;. No. 17.

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