Special topics III: Bias

Researchers, manuscript reviewers, and journal readers should be aware of the many potential sources of bias in radiologic studies. This article is a review of the common biases that occur in selecting patient and reader samples, choosing and applying a reference standard, performing and interpreting diagnostic examinations, and analyzing diagnostic test results. Potential implications of various biases are discussed, and practical approaches to eliminating or minimizing them are presented. (C) RSNA, 2003