Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Sep 11;15(9):e2002173.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2002173. eCollection 2017 Sep.

'Spin' in published biomedical literature: A methodological systematic review

Kellia Chiu  1 , Quinn Grundy  1 , Lisa Bero  1
Affiliations

'Spin' in published biomedical literature: A methodological systematic review

Kellia Chiu et al. PLoS Biol. .

Abstract

In the scientific literature, spin refers to reporting practices that distort the interpretation of results and mislead readers so that results are viewed in a more favourable light. The presence of spin in biomedical research can negatively impact the development of further studies, clinical practice, and health policies. This systematic review aims to explore the nature and prevalence of spin in the biomedical literature. We searched MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and hand searched reference lists for all reports that included the measurement of spin in the biomedical literature for at least 1 outcome. Two independent coders extracted data on the characteristics of reports and their included studies and all spin-related outcomes. Results were grouped inductively into themes by spin-related outcome and are presented as a narrative synthesis. We used meta-analyses to analyse the association of spin with industry sponsorship of research. We included 35 reports, which investigated spin in clinical trials, observational studies, diagnostic accuracy studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. The nature of spin varied according to study design. The highest (but also greatest) variability in the prevalence of spin was present in trials. Some of the common practices used to spin results included detracting from statistically nonsignificant results and inappropriately using causal language. Source of funding was hypothesised by a few authors to be a factor associated with spin; however, results were inconclusive, possibly due to the heterogeneity of the included papers. Further research is needed to assess the impact of spin on readers' decision-making. Editors and peer reviewers should be familiar with the prevalence and manifestations of spin in their area of research in order to ensure accurate interpretation and dissemination of research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. PRISMA flowchart of included articles.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Forest plot of meta-analysis of the association between funding source and presence of spin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Caulfield T, Ogbogu U. The commercialization of university-based research: Balancing risks and benefits. BMC Medical Ethics. 2015;16(1):1–7. doi: 10.1186/s12910-015-0064-2 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boutron I, Dutton S, Ravaud P, Altman DG. Reporting and interpretation of randomized controlled trials with statistically nonsignificant results for primary outcomes. JAMA. 2010;303(20):2058–64. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.651 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Horton R. The rhetoric of research. BMJ. 1995;310(6985):985–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lazarus C, Haneef R, Ravaud P, Boutron I. Classification and prevalence of spin in abstracts of non-randomized studies evaluating an intervention. BMC Med Res Methodology. 2015;15:85 doi: 10.1186/s12874-015-0079-x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lockyer S, Hodgson R, Dumville JC, Cullum N. "Spin" in wound care research: the reporting and interpretation of randomized controlled trials with statistically non-significant primary outcome results or unspecified primary outcomes. Trials. 2013;14:371 doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-14-371 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources