Do Certain Countries Produce Only Positive Results? A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials
Controlled Clinical TrialsPublished 1 April 1998
Andrew J. Vickers, Niraj Goyal, Robert Harland, Rebecca Rees
Citations677
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ObjectiveStudy objective
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TL;DR
Research conducted in certain countries was uniformly favorable to acupuncture; all trials originating in China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan were positive, as were 10 out of 11 of those published in Russia/USSR.
Abstract
Some countries publish unusually high proportions of positive results. Publication bias is a possible explanation. Researchers undertaking systematic reviews should consider carefully how to manage data from these countries.
Keywords
Social SciencesDecision Sciences
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