Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19902152›Full record

ReviewDer Anaesthesist2009

[What can we learn from the Scott Reuben case? Scientific misconduct in anaesthesiology].

H L Rittner, P Kranke, M Schäfer, N Roewer, A Brack

Abstract readBiographyEnglish AbstractHistorical Article
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Der Anaesthesist, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

H L RittnerKlinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie, Zentrum Operative Medizin, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg.
P Kranke
M Schäfer
N Roewer
A Brack

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In February 2009 a major case of scientific misconduct was discovered. The American pain researcher Dr. S. Reuben had published 21 papers over a period of 15 years that were found to be fraudulent. Suddenly many advances in postoperative pain therapy which had been assumed to be correct seemed questionable. In this review article the lessons which can be learnt from this case are described. This review also reveals that it is almost impossible for reviewers or readers of scientific journals to detect scientific fraud. However, several warning signs can be identified that might be useful when reading clinical papers. In retrospect many of these signs were detectable in Reuben's studies. Based on the fraudulent papers of Reuben it will be shown how and to what extent falsified results can affect other types of literature, such as practice guidelines, meta-analyses, review articles and oral presentations.

Indexed as

Scientific MisconductBiomedical ResearchHistory, 20th CenturyHistory, 21st CenturyHumansMeta-Analysis as TopicPeer ReviewPeriodicals as TopicPostoperative PainRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicResearch DesignTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.