ArticleIntegrative medicine research2026
Misleading readers without lies: understanding spin and its relevance to acupuncture research.
Article in Integrative medicine research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This article provides an overview of spin in general and the current state of spin research in acupuncture studies. We introduce the definition and historical background of spin and provide an overview of its types with illustrative examples. Spin, reporting strategies that emphasise benefits or distract from non-significant results, may still be unfamiliar to many researchers, despite its critical impact on physicians and decision-makers by distorting interpretation and misrepresenting findings. We discuss not only the current state of spin research in the acupuncture field, but also specific types of spin commonly observed in acupuncture publications. Finally, we issue a call to action for researchers, journal editors, reviewers, and decision-makers to prevent spin in research articles. Reducing spin requires multifaceted efforts, including strict adherence to reporting guidelines, rigorous editorial and peer review processes, and increased awareness and training among researchers. By adopting a multidimensional approach, acupuncture researchers can become more alert to misleading reporting practices and ultimately improve the overall quality of reporting.
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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.