Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40791310›Full record

ReviewGlobal epidemiology2025

Statistical inference and effect measures in abstracts of major HIV and AIDS journals, 1987-2022: A systematic review.

Andreas Stang, Henning Schäfer, Ahmad Idrissi-Yaghir, Christoph M Friedrich, Matthew P Fox

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Global epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Andreas StangInstitute for Medical Informatics, Biometry, and Epidemiology (IMIBE), University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
Henning SchäferDepartment of Computer Science, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund (FHDO), Emil-Figge-Str. 42, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
Ahmad Idrissi-YaghirDepartment of Computer Science, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund (FHDO), Emil-Figge-Str. 42, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
Christoph M FriedrichInstitute for Medical Informatics, Biometry, and Epidemiology (IMIBE), University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
Matthew P FoxDepartments of Epidemiology and Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston University, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: With the emergence of HIV/AIDS journals, the development of the reporting of statistical inference and effect measures in published abstracts can be examined from the beginning in a new field. The aim of this study was to describe time trends of statistical inference and effect measure reporting of major HIV/AIDS journals. Methods: We included 10 major HIV/AIDS journals and analyzed all available PubMed entries for the period 1987 through 2022. We applied rule-based text mining and machine learning methodology to detect the presence of confidence intervals, numerical Results: Among 41,730 PubMed entries from the major HIV/AIDS journals, 31,665 contained an abstract. In the early years, most abstracts reporting statistical inference contained only significance terminology without confidence intervals and Conclusions: Within the HIV/AIDS literature, there has been widespread use of confidence intervals. Most of the journals that we reviewed had a decrease in reporting only statistical significance without confidence intervals over time.

Indexed as

Acquired immunodeficiency syndromeConfidence intervalsHIVStatisticsStatistics and numerical data

Identifiers

PMID40791310
PMCPMC12337199

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.