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Review
. 2024 Mar 30;190(4):E5-E7.
doi: 10.1093/ejendo/lvae032.

Directed acyclic graphs in clinical research

Olaf M Dekkers  1   2   3 , Kristina Laugesen  2   4 , Rolf H H Groenwold  1   5
Affiliations
Review

Directed acyclic graphs in clinical research

Olaf M Dekkers et al. Eur J Endocrinol. .

Abstract

Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs), or causal diagrams, are graphical representations of causal structures that can be used in medical research to understand and illustrate potential bias, including bias arising from confounding, selection, and misclassification. Further, they provide guidance for researchers about how to address a potential bias.

Keywords: Bias; DAG; confounding; directed acyclic graphs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: O.M.D. is a Deputy Editor for European Journal of Endocrinology. He was not involved in the review or editorial process for this paper, on which he is listed as an author. K.L. and R.H.H.G. report no conflicts of interest.

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