The inexact use of Fisher's Exact Test in six major medical journals - PubMed (original) (raw)
. 1989 Jun 16;261(23):3430-3.
Affiliations
- PMID: 2724487
The inexact use of Fisher's Exact Test in six major medical journals
W P McKinney et al. JAMA. 1989.
Abstract
We reviewed the use of Fisher's Exact Test in 71 articles published between 1983 and 1987 in six medical journals. Thirty-three of 56 selected articles did not specify use of a one- or two-tailed test, and 12 (36%) of these actually used the one-tailed test. Five (42%) of these 12 articles contained at least one table in which the standard significance level of P less than .05 was no longer met when a two-tailed analysis was run instead. Eleven (65%) of 17 articles with a statistical consultant compared with 10 (28%) of 36 articles without a consultant specified use of a one- or two-sided test. The use of Fisher's Exact Test without specification as a one- or two-tailed version may misrepresent the statistical significance of data. A uniform specification statement should be required for all manuscripts to correct such potential errors in interpretation.
Comment in
- Fisher's inexact test: probability too serious to be left to statisticians.
Cormack RS. Cormack RS. JAMA. 1989 Dec 8;262(22):3129. JAMA. 1989. PMID: 2810664 No abstract available.
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