Errors in reporting statistics and research methodology in articles submitted to the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology

Aksenov V.A.

Bionika-Media Publishing House, Moscow, Russia; Public Interregional Organization “Society of specialists in evidence-based medicine”
Appropriate use of statistical analysis and research methodology is essential for obtaining objective and reliable results in medical studies. Studies with poor methodological quality and poor statistics cannot prove or disprove the study hypothesis with certainty. This review evaluates the reporting of the statistics and methodological quality in articles submitted to the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology between 2018 and 2020. The analysis showed that large proportions of these articles contained errors in the application, analysis, interpretation, reporting of statistics, or in the design of research.
Conclusion. The review concludes that authors of biomedical papers should be responsible for maintaining an integrated statistical presentation because valuable articles are in danger of being wasted through the misuse of statistics and poor methodological quality.

Keywords

clinical research
publication
statistical analysis
errors
research methodology
study design

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Received 18.08.2020

Accepted 28.08.2020

About the Authors

Valerii A. Aksenov, MD, Ph.D., Science Editor of the Bionika Media Publishing House, Vice-president of the Public Interregional Organization “Society of specialists in evidence-based medicine”. E-mail: v_aksenov@bk.ru. ORCID: 0000-0003-2468-0613.

For citation: Aksenov V.A. Errors in reporting statistics and research methodology in articles submitted to the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/ Obstetrics and gynecology. 2020; 9: 145-152 (in Russian).
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2020.9.145-152

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