Publication bias is, “the tendency on the part of investigators, reviewers, and editors to submit or accept manuscripts for publication based on the direction or strength of the study findings” (Dickersin, 1990). It is also called the “file-drawer effect” because it is taught unpublished results being tucked in file cabinets by researchers could cause invalid meta-analysis of that research (Scargle, 1999). Many studies confirm publication bias is a serious issue such as the study by Oregon Health and Science university researchers which examined the trail approval process for 12 separate antidepressants submitted to the FDA (Turner, 2008). They found that only 3/36 trails with negative findings were published compared to 37/38 of positive trails. Publishing negative findings is essential to interpret the overall significance of field of research and this issue needs to be resolved.
There are numerous concerns with Publication bias. Research is becoming less innovative and its neutrality is decreasing. Well-conducted studies may be repeated unnecessarily due to higher under-reporting of negative studies. Reviews of published data have become increasingly skewed by this imbalance in reporting. It wastes valuable time, resources, and funding that could be used on other beneficial research. Another concern is that doctors could make health-costly decisions due to overestimation of benefit and underestimation of harm caused by negative results not being published. The famous cover up of anti-inflammatory drug Rofecoxib’s negative effects (Vioxx) is an example of how withholding negative results can hurt patients (Curfman, 2005). Rofecoxib was prescribed to 80 million people. After 5 years, it was revealed that founding company, Merck,...
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Article two entitled “Clinical trials: are they ethical?” is written by Eugene Passamani discusses the importance of randomized clinical trials. Passamani rejects the argument that the physician-patient relationship demands that physicians recommend ...
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review or pending approval unless the information has been in the public. The FDA has no legal
In the final step of evaluating conclusions, the research community makes an active conversation about what they have discovered, and they write down details about the study. Then, they publish their work in various types of journal in order to let others read and learn from them. In the Katrevich et al. (2014) study, the conclusions were published in North American Journal of Psychology. In this way, scientists can figure out a new idea to be tested or one that will change the thinking about some topics (King, 2016).
The FDA is vital to our country, albeit makes mistakes. Sometimes the FDA can be too
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These patients are desperate and are vulnerable, often consenting to research studies without fully understanding the potential outcome. Therefore, it is imperative to educate the patients, public, and regulatory agencies regarding the pros and cons of these therapies.
“Scientists Not Immune from Gender Bias, Yale Study Shows.” Yale News. Yale University, 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.