Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26054650›Full record

ArticleBMC medical research methodology2015

An accurate test for homogeneity of odds ratios based on Cochran's Q-statistic.

Elena Kulinskaya, Michael B Dollinger

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 16 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
87citing papers in PubMed, 16 pooled it
–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

87 citing papers in PubMed, 16 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. The prognostic value of lymphatic vessel density in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
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  16. Perioperative intravenous ketamine for acute postoperative pain in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
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27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

2 authors.

Elena KulinskayaSchool of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK. e.kulinskaya@uea.ac.uk.
Michael B DollingerDepartment of Mathematics, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, 98447, USA, WA. dollinmb@plu.edu.

Funding

Medical Research Council G0501986
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA frequently used statistic for testing homogeneity in a meta-analysis of K independent studies is Cochran's Q. For a standard test of homogeneity the Q statistic is referred to a chi-square distribution with K-1 degrees of freedom. For the situation in which the effects of the studies are logarithms of odds ratios, the chi-square distribution is much too conservative for moderate size studies, although it may be asymptotically correct as the individual studies become large.

methodsUsing a mixture of theoretical results and simulations, we provide formulas to estimate the shape and scale parameters of a gamma distribution to fit the distribution of Q.

resultsSimulation studies show that the gamma distribution is a good approximation to the distribution for Q.

conclusionsUse of the gamma distribution instead of the chi-square distribution for Q should eliminate inaccurate inferences in assessing homogeneity in a meta-analysis. (A computer program for implementing this test is provided.) This hypothesis test is competitive with the Breslow-Day test both in accuracy of level and in power.

Indexed as

AlgorithmsOdds RatioSoftwareBiometryChi-Square DistributionComputer SimulationHumansMeta-Analysis as TopicReproducibility of Results

Identifiers

PMID26054650
PMCPMC4531442

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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.