ArticleIndian journal of orthopaedics2022
Analysis of Spin in RCTs of Spine Surgery Using ORG-LOC Grading Tool.
Article in Indian journal of orthopaedics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Ninety-Seven Percent of Trials Investigating Robotic Interventions in Physiotherapy Contained Abstract Spin: A Meta-Research Review.Cochrane evidence synthesis and methods · 2026Review
- Evaluation of Spin in the Clinical Literature of Suture Tape Augmentation for Ankle Instability.Foot & ankle orthopaedics · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Even in highly credible research models, such as randomised control trials (RCTs), many pitfalls do exist that a practitioner must be aware of, to get the actual sense of the research. The one such pitfall that is much more common but ironically less explored is the Writers' bias or the spin. Particularly in the abstracts, it is a potential source of deception to the readers. Methods: We selected 250 recent RCTs from the top 5 spine journals. Baseline data and CONSORT Adherence Score (CAS) were collected. Abstracts of the RCTs were graded using the level of confidence (LOC) grading tool developed by the Orthopaedic Research Group. All possible associations of spin were studied to assess the significance. Results: The median CAS was 11 (IQR 10-12). Only 47.6% ( Conclusions: Spin-based grading of RCTs is the need of the hour to aid readers to interpret the true essence of research papers. 40% of the RCTs in top spine journals had low to critically low LOC. Objective structuring of abstracts with adherence to CONSORT guidelines is the way forward to prevent spin.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.