High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.

<h4>Rationale</h4>In biomedical journals authors sometimes use the standard error of the mean (SEM) for data description, which has been called inappropriate or incorrect.<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the frequency of incorrect use of SEM in articles in three selected cardiovas...

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Autores principales:	Marcel Wullschleger, Soheila Aghlmandi, Marcel Egger, Marcel Zwahlen
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/32a1690b455d45ddbfa7d1f6d39815c6
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:32a1690b455d45ddbfa7d1f6d39815c62021-11-25T05:55:06ZHigh incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0110364https://doaj.org/article/32a1690b455d45ddbfa7d1f6d39815c62014-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0110364https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203<h4>Rationale</h4>In biomedical journals authors sometimes use the standard error of the mean (SEM) for data description, which has been called inappropriate or incorrect.<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the frequency of incorrect use of SEM in articles in three selected cardiovascular journals.<h4>Methods and results</h4>All original journal articles published in 2012 in Cardiovascular Research, Circulation: Heart Failure and Circulation Research were assessed by two assessors for inappropriate use of SEM when providing descriptive information of empirical data. We also assessed whether the authors state in the methods section that the SEM will be used for data description. Of 441 articles included in this survey, 64% (282 articles) contained at least one instance of incorrect use of the SEM, with two journals having a prevalence above 70% and "Circulation: Heart Failure" having the lowest value (27%). In 81% of articles with incorrect use of SEM, the authors had explicitly stated that they use the SEM for data description and in 89% SEM bars were also used instead of 95% confidence intervals. Basic science studies had a 7.4-fold higher level of inappropriate SEM use (74%) than clinical studies (10%).<h4>Limitations</h4>The selection of the three cardiovascular journals was based on a subjective initial impression of observing inappropriate SEM use. The observed results are not representative for all cardiovascular journals.<h4>Conclusion</h4>In three selected cardiovascular journals we found a high level of inappropriate SEM use and explicit methods statements to use it for data description, especially in basic science studies. To improve on this situation, these and other journals should provide clear instructions to authors on how to report descriptive information of empirical data.Marcel WullschlegerSoheila AghlmandiMarcel EggerMarcel ZwahlenPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 10, p e110364 (2014)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Marcel Wullschleger Soheila Aghlmandi Marcel Egger Marcel Zwahlen High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.
description	<h4>Rationale</h4>In biomedical journals authors sometimes use the standard error of the mean (SEM) for data description, which has been called inappropriate or incorrect.<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the frequency of incorrect use of SEM in articles in three selected cardiovascular journals.<h4>Methods and results</h4>All original journal articles published in 2012 in Cardiovascular Research, Circulation: Heart Failure and Circulation Research were assessed by two assessors for inappropriate use of SEM when providing descriptive information of empirical data. We also assessed whether the authors state in the methods section that the SEM will be used for data description. Of 441 articles included in this survey, 64% (282 articles) contained at least one instance of incorrect use of the SEM, with two journals having a prevalence above 70% and "Circulation: Heart Failure" having the lowest value (27%). In 81% of articles with incorrect use of SEM, the authors had explicitly stated that they use the SEM for data description and in 89% SEM bars were also used instead of 95% confidence intervals. Basic science studies had a 7.4-fold higher level of inappropriate SEM use (74%) than clinical studies (10%).<h4>Limitations</h4>The selection of the three cardiovascular journals was based on a subjective initial impression of observing inappropriate SEM use. The observed results are not representative for all cardiovascular journals.<h4>Conclusion</h4>In three selected cardiovascular journals we found a high level of inappropriate SEM use and explicit methods statements to use it for data description, especially in basic science studies. To improve on this situation, these and other journals should provide clear instructions to authors on how to report descriptive information of empirical data.
format	article
author	Marcel Wullschleger Soheila Aghlmandi Marcel Egger Marcel Zwahlen
author_facet	Marcel Wullschleger Soheila Aghlmandi Marcel Egger Marcel Zwahlen
author_sort	Marcel Wullschleger
title	High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.
title_short	High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.
title_full	High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.
title_fullStr	High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.
title_full_unstemmed	High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.
title_sort	high incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (sem) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2014
url	https://doaj.org/article/32a1690b455d45ddbfa7d1f6d39815c6
work_keys_str_mv	AT marcelwullschleger highincorrectuseofthestandarderrorofthemeanseminoriginalarticlesinthreecardiovascularjournalsevaluatedfor2012 AT soheilaaghlmandi highincorrectuseofthestandarderrorofthemeanseminoriginalarticlesinthreecardiovascularjournalsevaluatedfor2012 AT marcelegger highincorrectuseofthestandarderrorofthemeanseminoriginalarticlesinthreecardiovascularjournalsevaluatedfor2012 AT marcelzwahlen highincorrectuseofthestandarderrorofthemeanseminoriginalarticlesinthreecardiovascularjournalsevaluatedfor2012
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High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.

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