TY - JOUR
T1 - Reporting bias in imaging diagnostic test accuracy studies: Are studies with positive conclusions or titles submitted and published faster?
AU - Treanor, Lee M.
AU - Frank, Robert A.
AU - Atyani, Almohannad
AU - Sharifabadi, Anahita Dehmoobad
AU - Hallgrimson, Zachary
AU - Fabiano, Nicholas
AU - Salameh, Jea-Paul
AU - McGrath, Trevor A.
AU - Korevaar, Daniel A.
AU - Bossuyt, Patrick
AU - McInnes, Matthew D. F.
PY - 2021/1/1
Y1 - 2021/1/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether imaging diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies with positive conclusions or titles have a shorter time to publication than those with nonpositive (i.e., negative or neutral) conclusions or titles. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We included primary imaging DTA studies from systematic reviews published in 2015. The conclusion and title of each study were extracted, and their positivity was classified independently in duplicate. The time from study completion to publication was extracted and calculated. A Cox regression model was used to evaluate associations of conclusion and title positivity with time to publication, with adjustment made for potentially confounding variables. RESULTS. A total of 774 imaging DTA studies were included; time from study completion to publication could be calculated for 516 studies. The median time from completion to publication was 18 months (interquartile range, 13-26 months) for the 413 studies with positive conclusions, 23 months (interquartile range, 16-33 months) for the 63 studies with neutral conclusions, and 25 months (interquartile range, 15-38 months) for the 40 studies with negative conclusions. A positive conclusion was associated with a shorter time from study completion to publication compared with a nonpositive conclusion (hazard ratio, 1.31; 95% CI,1.02-1.68). Of all included studies, 39 (5%) had positive titles, 731 (94%) had neutral titles, and 4 (< 1%) had negative titles. Positive titles were not significantly associated with a shorter time to study publication (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.75-1.69). CONCLUSION. Positive conclusions (but not titles) were associated with a shorter time from study completion to publication. This finding may contribute to an overrepresentation of positive results in the imaging DTA literature.
AB - OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether imaging diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies with positive conclusions or titles have a shorter time to publication than those with nonpositive (i.e., negative or neutral) conclusions or titles. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We included primary imaging DTA studies from systematic reviews published in 2015. The conclusion and title of each study were extracted, and their positivity was classified independently in duplicate. The time from study completion to publication was extracted and calculated. A Cox regression model was used to evaluate associations of conclusion and title positivity with time to publication, with adjustment made for potentially confounding variables. RESULTS. A total of 774 imaging DTA studies were included; time from study completion to publication could be calculated for 516 studies. The median time from completion to publication was 18 months (interquartile range, 13-26 months) for the 413 studies with positive conclusions, 23 months (interquartile range, 16-33 months) for the 63 studies with neutral conclusions, and 25 months (interquartile range, 15-38 months) for the 40 studies with negative conclusions. A positive conclusion was associated with a shorter time from study completion to publication compared with a nonpositive conclusion (hazard ratio, 1.31; 95% CI,1.02-1.68). Of all included studies, 39 (5%) had positive titles, 731 (94%) had neutral titles, and 4 (< 1%) had negative titles. Positive titles were not significantly associated with a shorter time to study publication (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.75-1.69). CONCLUSION. Positive conclusions (but not titles) were associated with a shorter time from study completion to publication. This finding may contribute to an overrepresentation of positive results in the imaging DTA literature.
KW - Diagnostic imaging
KW - Diagnostic tests
KW - Epidemiology
KW - Publication bias
KW - Research design
KW - Routine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098723804&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.19.22744
DO - https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.19.22744
M3 - Article
C2 - 33170736
SN - 0361-803X
VL - 216
SP - 225
EP - 232
JO - AJR. American journal of roentgenology
JF - AJR. American journal of roentgenology
IS - 1
ER -