ArticleNature communications2020
Quantifying and addressing the prevalence and bias of study designs in the environmental and social sciences.
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In one paragraph
Article in Nature communications, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.
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.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The evidence base for ranger patrol effectiveness in conservation and how to improve it.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic review of conservation interventions to promote voluntary behavior change.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2023Pooled it
- Quantifying research waste in ecology.Nature ecology & evolution · 2022Pooled it
- Global conservation additionality hindered by persisting fishing pressure in marine protected areas.Science advances · 2026Article
- The Ocean Equity Index.Nature · 2026Article
- Robust inference and errors in studies of wildlife control.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The global human impact on biodiversity.Nature · 2025Article
- Challenges in assessing the effects of environmental governance systems on conservation outcomes.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2025Review
- Article
- Article
- Sleep Disorders in Connective Tissue Diseases-Coexisting Diseases or Disease Components?Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Robust language-based mental health assessments in time and space through social media.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- Supplementing honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies with pollen increases their pollinating activity on nectariferous crops with anthers isolated from stigmas.Journal of economic entomology · 2024Article
- Restoration of forestry-drained boreal peatland ecosystems can effectively stop and reverse ecosystem degradation.Communications earth & environment · 2024Article
- Plant optics: underlying mechanisms in remotely sensed signals for phenotyping applications.AoB PLANTS · 2023Review
- Growth of non-English-language literature on biodiversity conservation.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2022Article
- Standards of conduct and reporting in evidence syntheses that could inform environmental policy and management decisions.Environmental evidence · 2022Article
- Assessing assemblage-wide mammal responses to different types of habitat modification in Amazonian forests.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Mitigating impacts of invasive alien predators on an endangered sea duck amidst high native predation pressure.Oecologia · 2022Article
- Tapping into non-English-language science for the conservation of global biodiversity.PLoS biology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
60 authors.
Alec P ChristieConservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, UK. alec.christie@hotmail.co.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-8465-8410
David AbecasisCentre of Marine Sciences (CCMar), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-9802-8153
Mehdi AdjeroudInstitut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR 9220 ENTROPIE & Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, 52 avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan, France.
Juan C AlonsoMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-0450-7434
Tatsuya AmanoSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6576-3410
Alvaro AntonEducation Faculty of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Sarriena z/g E-48940 Leioa, Basque Country, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-4108-6122
Barry P BaldigoU.S. Geological Survey, New York Water Science Center, 425 Jordan Rd., Troy, NY, 12180, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9862-9119
Rafael BarrientosUniversidad Complutense de Madrid, Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, c/ José Antonio Novais, 12, E-28040, Madrid, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-1677-3214
Jake E BicknellDurrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6831-627X
Deborah A BuhlU.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, 58401, USA.
Just CebrianNorthern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University, 1021 Balch Blvd, John C. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, 39529, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9916-8430
Ricardo S CeiaMARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Dept. Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-7078-0178
Luciana Cibils-MartinaDepartamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC), Córdoba, Argentina.ORCID 0000-0002-2101-4095
Sarah ClarkeMarine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Galway, Ireland.
Joachim ClaudetNational Center for Scientific Research, PSL Université Paris, CRIOBE, USR 3278 CNRS-EPHE-UPVD, Maison des Océans, 195 rue Saint-Jacques, 75005, Paris, France.ORCID 0000-0001-6295-1061
Michael D CraigSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia.
Dominique DavoultSorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique, F.29680, Roscoff, France.
Annelies De BackerFlanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Ankerstraat 1, 8400, Ostend, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-9129-9009
Mary K DonovanMarine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6855-0197
Tyler D EddyBaruch Institute for Marine & Coastal Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Filipe M FrançaLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, LA1 4YQ, Lancaster, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3827-1917
Jonathan P A GardnerSchool of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P O Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0002-6943-2413
Bradley P HarrisFisheries, Aquatic Science and Technology Laboratory, Alaska Pacific University, 4101 University Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA.
Ari HuuskoNatural Resources Institute Finland, Manamansalontie 90, 88300, Paltamo, Finland.
Ian L JonesDepartment of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, A1B 2R3, Canada.
Brendan P KelaherNational Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, 2 Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour, 2450, Australia.
Janne S KotiahoDepartment of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-4732-784X
Adrià López-BaucellsCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes - cE3c, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-8446-0108
Heather L MajorDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 5050, Saint John, NB, E2L 4L5, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7265-1289
Aki Mäki-PetäysVoimalohi Oy, Voimatie 23, Voimatie, 91100, Ii, Finland.
Beatriz MartínFundación Migres CIMA Ctra, Cádiz, Spain.
Carlos A MartínUniversidad Complutense de Madrid, Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, c/ José Antonio Novais, 12, E-28040, Madrid, Spain.
Philip A MartinConservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, UK.
Daniel Mateos-MolinaDepartamento de Ecología e Hidrología, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-9383-0593
Robert A McConnaugheyRACE Division, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8537-3695
Michele MeroniEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, VA, Italy.
Christoph F J MeyerCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes - cE3c, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-9958-8913
Kade MillsVictorian National Park Association, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
Monica MontefalconeDepartment of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DiSTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genoa, Italy.
Norbertas NoreikaDepartment of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-3853-7677
Carlos PalacínMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
Anjali PandeSchool of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P O Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand.
C Roland PitcherCSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, Queensland Biosciences Precinct, 306 Carmody Road, ST. LUCIA QLD, 4067, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2075-4347
Carlos PonceMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006, Madrid, Spain.
Matt RinellaFort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, 243 Fort Keogh Rd, Miles City, Montana, 59301, USA.
Ricardo RochaCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes - cE3c, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-2757-7347
María C Ruiz-DelgadoDepartamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, ES-41013, Sevilla, Spain.
Juan J Schmitter-SotoEl Colegio de la Frontera Sur, A.P. 424, 77000, Chetumal, QR, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0003-4736-8382
Jill A ShafferU.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, 58401, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3172-0708
Shailesh SharmaDivision of Fish and Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12233-4756, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7918-4070
Anna A SherUniversity of Denver Department of Biological Sciences, Denver, CO, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6433-9746
Doriane StagnolSorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique, F.29680, Roscoff, France.
Thomas R StanleyU.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA.
Kevin D E StokesburySchool for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA, USA.
Aurora TorresGeorges Lemaître Earth and Climate Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Oliver TullyMarine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Galway, Ireland.
Teppo VehanenNatural Resources Institute Finland, Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0003-3441-6787
Corinne WattsManaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, 3216, New Zealand.
Qingyuan ZhaoStatistical Laboratory, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WB, UK.
William J SutherlandConservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, UK.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Building trust in science and evidence-based decision-making depends heavily on the credibility of studies and their findings. Researchers employ many different study designs that vary in their risk of bias to evaluate the true effect of interventions or impacts. Here, we empirically quantify, on a large scale, the prevalence of different study designs and the magnitude of bias in their estimates. Randomised designs and controlled observational designs with pre-intervention sampling were used by just 23% of intervention studies in biodiversity conservation, and 36% of intervention studies in social science. We demonstrate, through pairwise within-study comparisons across 49 environmental datasets, that these types of designs usually give less biased estimates than simpler observational designs. We propose a model-based approach to combine study estimates that may suffer from different levels of study design bias, discuss the implications for evidence synthesis, and how to facilitate the use of more credible study designs.
Indexed as
Research DesignSocial SciencesBiasBiodiversityEcologyEnvironmentHumansLiteraturePrevalence
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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.