Evidence map›Paper›PMID 7786990›Full record

ArticleBiometrics1994

Operating characteristics of a rank correlation test for publication bias.

C B Begg, M Mazumdar

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readComparative Study
PubMed
In one paragraph

Article in Biometrics, 1994. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 7,648 papers, 109 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7,648citing papers in PubMed, 109 pooled it
–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.

NCT03234101 unknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2016, after this paper: background citation

Relation of Low-risk Lifestyle Behaviours With Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Cancer and All-Cause Mortality: A Series of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Prospective Cohort Studies

TypeobservationalSponsorUniversity of TorontoRan2016 to 2017Enrolled1ConditionsCardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, MortalityArmsLow-risk lifestyle behaviours
NCT04477941 completednot on this mapstarted 2020, after this paper: background citation

The Association Between Parents' Stress and Feeding Styles and Practices: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies

TypeobservationalSponsorMathilda VandenheuvelRan2020 to 2022Enrolled1ConditionsParent-Child Relations, Stress, Feeding Behavior
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7,648 citing papers in PubMed, 109 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  7. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and adverse outcomes in acute intracerebral hemorrhage: a meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
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  11. Oral appliances for obstructive sleep apnoea in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026
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7,588 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

C B BeggDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021.
M Mazumdar

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI Hongbiao Carl Lekaye · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
NCI NIH HHS CA-08748NLM NIH HHS LM-05527
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

An adjusted rank correlation test is proposed as a technique for identifying publication bias in a meta-analysis, and its operating characteristics are evaluated via simulations. The test statistic is a direct statistical analogue of the popular "funnel-graph." The number of component studies in the meta-analysis, the nature of the selection mechanism, the range of variances of the effect size estimates, and the true underlying effect size are all observed to be influential in determining the power of the test. The test is fairly powerful for large meta-analyses with 75 component studies, but has only moderate power for meta-analyses with 25 component studies. However, in many of the configurations in which there is low power, there is also relatively little bias in the summary effect size estimate. Nonetheless, the test must be interpreted with caution in small meta-analyses. In particular, bias cannot be ruled out if the test is not significant. The proposed technique has potential utility as an exploratory tool for meta-analysts, as a formal procedure to complement the funnel-graph.

Indexed as

BiasModels, StatisticalPublishingCase-Control StudiesChlamydia InfectionsChlorineContraceptives, OralFemaleHumansLung NeoplasmsMathematicsMeta-Analysis as TopicNeoplasmsOdds RatioTobacco Smoke PollutionWater SupplyChlorineContraceptives, OralTobacco Smoke Pollution

Identifiers

PMID7786990

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.