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An observational analysis of the trope “A p-value of

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  • Nicole M White
  • Thirunavukarasu Balasubramaniam
  • Richi Nayak
  • Adrian G Barnett

Abstract

Appropriate descriptions of statistical methods are essential for evaluating research quality and reproducibility. Despite continued efforts to improve reporting in publications, inadequate descriptions of statistical methods persist. At times, reading statistical methods sections can conjure feelings of dèjá vu, with content resembling cut-and-pasted or “boilerplate text” from already published work. Instances of boilerplate text suggest a mechanistic approach to statistical analysis, where the same default methods are being used and described using standardized text. To investigate the extent of this practice, we analyzed text extracted from published statistical methods sections from PLOS ONE and the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR). Topic modeling was applied to analyze data from 111,731 papers published in PLOS ONE and 9,523 studies registered with the ANZCTR. PLOS ONE topics emphasized definitions of statistical significance, software and descriptive statistics. One in three PLOS ONE papers contained at least 1 sentence that was a direct copy from another paper. 12,675 papers (11%) closely matched to the sentence “a p-value

Suggested Citation

  • Nicole M White & Thirunavukarasu Balasubramaniam & Richi Nayak & Adrian G Barnett, 2022. "An observational analysis of the trope “A p-value of," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0264360
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264360
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jeff Leek & Blakeley B. McShane & Andrew Gelman & David Colquhoun & Michèle B. Nuijten & Steven N. Goodman, 2017. "Five ways to fix statistics," Nature, Nature, vol. 551(7682), pages 557-559, November.
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