Abstract
The “literature,” a tool used by surgeons and scientists to advance knowledge and to improve practice with a maximum of information and a minimum of error, is not always what it seems. Journal publications rank high in the hierarchy of information sources for decisions regarding health care funding, research endeavors, and, ultimately, improved patient care. Editors and readers of peer-reviewed journals expect authors to maintain objectivity. Authors are required and expected to notify readers, for example, in a footnote on the first page of a report, if they have a financial interest in the company producing an instrument or treatment described, or to identify the company’s contribution in subsidizing the research reported. 1 Consumers of the literature expect to be alerted to any potential bias.
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McKneally, M.F., Cassivi, S.D., Troidl, H. (1998). Publications Do Not Always Reflect the Real World. In: Troidl, H., McKneally, M.F., Mulder, D.S., Wechsler, A.S., McPeek, B., Spitzer, W.O. (eds) Surgical Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1888-3_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1888-3_9
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