ArticlePLoS biology2024
Finding the right power balance: Better study design and collaboration can reduce dependence on statistical power.
Article in PLoS biology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy of physical therapy for prevention and treatment of postoperative lymphedema in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Acute Exposure to Traces of Chlorantraniliprole Does Not Alter Antipredator Behaviour in Wild Crickets.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- First-in-human to proof-of-concept: why experimental medicine studies remain essential in human physiology and drug development.Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology · 2026Review
- Too Few, Too Many, or Just Right? Optimizing Sample Sizes for Population-Level Inferences in Animal Tracking Projects.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Skin thickness alterations in pressure injury tissue: insights from high-frequency ultrasound and mixed-design analysis of variance.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Giving less power to statistical power.Laboratory animals · 2025Article
- Religion as a domain of exposure assessment in epidemiologic studies: History, meaning, and implications.Global epidemiology · 2025Review
- Sexual selection drives sex difference in adult life expectancy across mammals and birds.Science advances · 2025Article
- Ending publication bias: A values-based approach to surface null and negative results.PLoS biology · 2025Article
- Continent-wide differentiation of fitness traits and patterns of climate adaptation among European populations ofEvolution letters · 2025Article
- The Effects of Augmented Reality Treadmill Walking on Cognitive Function, Body Composition, Physiological Responses, and Acceptability in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Poor hypotheses and research waste in biology: learning from a theory crisis in psychology.BMC biology · 2025Review
- A Systematic Review on the Evolution of Power Analysis Practices in Psychological Research.Psychologica Belgica · 2025Article
- A large-scale in silico replication of ecological and evolutionary studies.Nature ecology & evolution · 2024Article
- Supporting study registration to reduce research waste.Nature ecology & evolution · 2024Review
- Exploring Study Design Foibles in Randomized Controlled Trials on Convalescent Plasma in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Power analysis currently dominates sample size determination for experiments, particularly in grant and ethics applications. Yet, this focus could paradoxically result in suboptimal study design because publication biases towards studies with the largest effects can lead to the overestimation of effect sizes. In this Essay, we propose a paradigm shift towards better study designs that focus less on statistical power. We also advocate for (pre)registration and obligatory reporting of all results (regardless of statistical significance), better facilitation of team science and multi-institutional collaboration that incorporates heterogenization, and the use of prospective and living meta-analyses to generate generalizable results. Such changes could make science more effective and, potentially, more equitable, helping to cultivate better collaborations.
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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.