@hjhansford.bsky.social
Thrilled to see PLOS Medicine (@plos.org) now REQUIRES the TARGET checklist to be completed for submitted target trial emulations. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004796
Transparent reporting shouldn't be optional, if you edit at a journal, please encourage your EiC or publishers to follow suit.
Transparent reporting shouldn't be optional, if you edit at a journal, please encourage your EiC or publishers to follow suit.
Raising the bar for causal inference: PLOS Medicine adopts the TARGET guidelines for target trial emulation studies
The TARGET guidelines aim to improve transparency and consistency in reporting of observational studies that emulate target trials. This Editorial announces that PLOS Medicine fully endorses the TARGE...
doi.org
November 7, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Thrilled to see PLOS Medicine (@plos.org) now REQUIRES the TARGET checklist to be completed for submitted target trial emulations. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004796
Transparent reporting shouldn't be optional, if you edit at a journal, please encourage your EiC or publishers to follow suit.
Transparent reporting shouldn't be optional, if you edit at a journal, please encourage your EiC or publishers to follow suit.
Reposted
🧠 Balancing open science with research security is a hallmark of the modern research mindset. Researchers can foster discovery and collaboration, while also safeguarding sensitive data and intellectual property from misuse. 🧪
Learn more ➡️ go.cca-reports.ca/3KPUnob
Learn more ➡️ go.cca-reports.ca/3KPUnob
October 22, 2025 at 1:04 PM
🧠 Balancing open science with research security is a hallmark of the modern research mindset. Researchers can foster discovery and collaboration, while also safeguarding sensitive data and intellectual property from misuse. 🧪
Learn more ➡️ go.cca-reports.ca/3KPUnob
Learn more ➡️ go.cca-reports.ca/3KPUnob
Reposted
New PhD position available at @mrcctu.bsky.social to develop guidance on balancing statistical and clinical considerations when choosing an estimand in RCTs.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Optimising the choice of estimand in randomised trials: developing guidance on balancing statistical and clinical considerations to ensure results matter to stakeholders at University College London o...
PhD Project - Optimising the choice of estimand in randomised trials: developing guidance on balancing statistical and clinical considerations to ensure results matter to stakeholders at University Co...
www.findaphd.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:46 AM
New PhD position available at @mrcctu.bsky.social to develop guidance on balancing statistical and clinical considerations when choosing an estimand in RCTs.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted
Does unblinding due to side effects lead to bias in placebo-controlled trials? And are active placebos a possible solution? (Spoiler alert: we are not sure.)
#ActivePlacebo #ActivePlacebos #Blinding #Unblinding #Placebo #Bias
1/10
#ActivePlacebo #ActivePlacebos #Blinding #Unblinding #Placebo #Bias
1/10
October 17, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Does unblinding due to side effects lead to bias in placebo-controlled trials? And are active placebos a possible solution? (Spoiler alert: we are not sure.)
#ActivePlacebo #ActivePlacebos #Blinding #Unblinding #Placebo #Bias
1/10
#ActivePlacebo #ActivePlacebos #Blinding #Unblinding #Placebo #Bias
1/10
Reposted
Roll up, roll up. Get your snake oil and miracle cures here!
✅ Precision medicine
✅ Automated causal inference
✅ Polygenic scores
✅ 1000+ outcome prediction models
✅ In sillico trials
✅ Exposomics
✅ Anything involve 'AI'
✅ Any other trend, shortcut, or bandwagon!
✅ Precision medicine
✅ Automated causal inference
✅ Polygenic scores
✅ 1000+ outcome prediction models
✅ In sillico trials
✅ Exposomics
✅ Anything involve 'AI'
✅ Any other trend, shortcut, or bandwagon!
October 16, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Roll up, roll up. Get your snake oil and miracle cures here!
✅ Precision medicine
✅ Automated causal inference
✅ Polygenic scores
✅ 1000+ outcome prediction models
✅ In sillico trials
✅ Exposomics
✅ Anything involve 'AI'
✅ Any other trend, shortcut, or bandwagon!
✅ Precision medicine
✅ Automated causal inference
✅ Polygenic scores
✅ 1000+ outcome prediction models
✅ In sillico trials
✅ Exposomics
✅ Anything involve 'AI'
✅ Any other trend, shortcut, or bandwagon!
As use of target trial emulation increases, transparent reporting is critical to allow readers to pick the good from the bad.
We argue that TARGET will improve peer review, appraisal and trust in target trial emulations & journals should encourage its use.
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004787
We argue that TARGET will improve peer review, appraisal and trust in target trial emulations & journals should encourage its use.
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004787
Improving reporting of observational studies of interventions: The TARGET guideline
In this Perspective, Harrison Hansford and colleagues outline how the TARGET guidelines can improve the reporting transparency of observational studies emulating a target trial and help readers apprai...
doi.org
October 15, 2025 at 9:48 PM
As use of target trial emulation increases, transparent reporting is critical to allow readers to pick the good from the bad.
We argue that TARGET will improve peer review, appraisal and trust in target trial emulations & journals should encourage its use.
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004787
We argue that TARGET will improve peer review, appraisal and trust in target trial emulations & journals should encourage its use.
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004787
Reposted
Every. Single. Time. Although i think the falling off the bike is me *truly* learning the method.
Anyone else ever feel like this? #StatsSky #Statistics
September 24, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Every. Single. Time. Although i think the falling off the bike is me *truly* learning the method.
Reposted
NEW PAPER! (in press in EPIDEMIOLOGY)
Have you wondered:
- How to specify a target trial: as an ideal trial or something else?
- What biases do target trial emulations and actual RCTs share?
- How does it all relate to potential outcomes?
Read here! 👉 arxiv.org/abs/2405.10026
#EpiSky #CausalSky
Have you wondered:
- How to specify a target trial: as an ideal trial or something else?
- What biases do target trial emulations and actual RCTs share?
- How does it all relate to potential outcomes?
Read here! 👉 arxiv.org/abs/2405.10026
#EpiSky #CausalSky
The ideal trial: defining causal estimands that balance relevance and feasibility in target trial emulations and actual randomized trials
Causal inference is the goal of randomized trials and many observational studies. The first step in a formal causal inference framework is to define the causal estimand, and in both types of study thi...
arxiv.org
September 9, 2025 at 11:23 PM
NEW PAPER! (in press in EPIDEMIOLOGY)
Have you wondered:
- How to specify a target trial: as an ideal trial or something else?
- What biases do target trial emulations and actual RCTs share?
- How does it all relate to potential outcomes?
Read here! 👉 arxiv.org/abs/2405.10026
#EpiSky #CausalSky
Have you wondered:
- How to specify a target trial: as an ideal trial or something else?
- What biases do target trial emulations and actual RCTs share?
- How does it all relate to potential outcomes?
Read here! 👉 arxiv.org/abs/2405.10026
#EpiSky #CausalSky
Reposted
For Monday crowd. INSPECT-SR, a tool to help you identify problematic (inc. fraudulent) RCTs, now available.
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
INSPECT-SR: A tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials.
INSPECT-SR: A tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials.
INSPECT-SR: a tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials
The integrity of evidence synthesis is threatened by problematic randomised controlled trials (RCTs). These are RCTs where there are serious concerns about the trustworthiness of the data or findings....
www.medrxiv.org
September 8, 2025 at 7:22 AM
For Monday crowd. INSPECT-SR, a tool to help you identify problematic (inc. fraudulent) RCTs, now available.
Reposted
A detailed guidance document and editable template are available here: osf.io/b74wj/files/...
OSF
osf.io
September 5, 2025 at 6:14 PM
A detailed guidance document and editable template are available here: osf.io/b74wj/files/...
Reposted
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
INSPECT-SR: A tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials.
INSPECT-SR: A tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials.
INSPECT-SR: a tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials
The integrity of evidence synthesis is threatened by problematic randomised controlled trials (RCTs). These are RCTs where there are serious concerns about the trustworthiness of the data or findings....
www.medrxiv.org
September 5, 2025 at 6:11 PM
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
INSPECT-SR: A tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials.
INSPECT-SR: A tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials.
Reposted
🎯 TARGET Guideline published 🎉
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
September 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
🎯 TARGET Guideline published 🎉
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
Reposted
One of the most common misunderstandings about the use and value of placebos in clinical RCTs, often made by both methodological experts and experienced trialists:
(from @stephensenn.bsky.social in academic.oup.com/jrsssa/advan...)
(from @stephensenn.bsky.social in academic.oup.com/jrsssa/advan...)
September 5, 2025 at 5:52 AM
One of the most common misunderstandings about the use and value of placebos in clinical RCTs, often made by both methodological experts and experienced trialists:
(from @stephensenn.bsky.social in academic.oup.com/jrsssa/advan...)
(from @stephensenn.bsky.social in academic.oup.com/jrsssa/advan...)
Reposted
In the med literature, statements like “to our knowledge [TOK], this is the FIRST...” often replace a proper systematic search. Among 4488 PMC articles in 6 leading medical journals published 2020-2024, TOK prevalence was 21.7%, w @PLOSMedicine highest (48.4%) and @NEJM lowest (1.3%) #CornellVet
September 4, 2025 at 2:50 PM
In the med literature, statements like “to our knowledge [TOK], this is the FIRST...” often replace a proper systematic search. Among 4488 PMC articles in 6 leading medical journals published 2020-2024, TOK prevalence was 21.7%, w @PLOSMedicine highest (48.4%) and @NEJM lowest (1.3%) #CornellVet
Reposted
Out this morning, TARGET a guideline to help get target trial emulation studies to report a standard set of items
#prc10
@peerreviewcongress.bsky.social
@bmj.com
@societyforepi.bsky.social
#prc10
@peerreviewcongress.bsky.social
@bmj.com
@societyforepi.bsky.social
September 3, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Out this morning, TARGET a guideline to help get target trial emulation studies to report a standard set of items
#prc10
@peerreviewcongress.bsky.social
@bmj.com
@societyforepi.bsky.social
#prc10
@peerreviewcongress.bsky.social
@bmj.com
@societyforepi.bsky.social
Reposted
When using observational data for #causalinference, the choice isn’t between emulating or not emulating a #TargetTrial, but between reporting or not reporting the target trial that we are emulating.
For those who prefer to be explicit about what they do, we have developed the TARGET Statement 👇
For those who prefer to be explicit about what they do, we have developed the TARGET Statement 👇
🎯 TARGET Guideline published 🎉
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
September 3, 2025 at 10:30 PM
When using observational data for #causalinference, the choice isn’t between emulating or not emulating a #TargetTrial, but between reporting or not reporting the target trial that we are emulating.
For those who prefer to be explicit about what they do, we have developed the TARGET Statement 👇
For those who prefer to be explicit about what they do, we have developed the TARGET Statement 👇
🎯 TARGET Guideline published 🎉
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
September 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
🎯 TARGET Guideline published 🎉
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
TARGET is a reporting guideline for observational studies of interventions that use the target trial framework.
Over 3 years the @TARGETGuideline was rigorously developed and was co-published today in @jama.com & @bmj.com
doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13350
#episky
Reposted
OSF is reviewing its generalist preprint server partly because of “Volume and quality challenges: The generalist server has seen increasing numbers of suspicious or low-quality submissions…trends such as generative AI and paper mills have introduced new risks to research integrity”
Suspension of Submissions to Generalist Preprint Server for Review and Next Steps — Community Servers Hosted by OSF Preprints Remain Active
Effective August 25, 2025, COS will suspend submissions to its generalist preprint server hosted by OSF Preprints. The generalist server has operated alongside community-run preprint servers on OSF Pr...
www.cos.io
August 21, 2025 at 8:18 PM
OSF is reviewing its generalist preprint server partly because of “Volume and quality challenges: The generalist server has seen increasing numbers of suspicious or low-quality submissions…trends such as generative AI and paper mills have introduced new risks to research integrity”
Reposted
There's no reason not to share data from a systematic literature review, other than cowardice.
August 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
There's no reason not to share data from a systematic literature review, other than cowardice.
Reposted
September @vicbiostat.bsky.social seminar:
Camila Olarte Parra from @causalab.bsky.social Karolinska will speak on combining information from trial participants and non-participants in registry-based trials.
All welcome online 25 September.
More info:
www.vicbiostat.org.au/event/combin...
Camila Olarte Parra from @causalab.bsky.social Karolinska will speak on combining information from trial participants and non-participants in registry-based trials.
All welcome online 25 September.
More info:
www.vicbiostat.org.au/event/combin...
Combining information from trial participants and non-participants in registry-based trials
Even though the advantages of randomised tria
www.vicbiostat.org.au
August 11, 2025 at 7:13 AM
September @vicbiostat.bsky.social seminar:
Camila Olarte Parra from @causalab.bsky.social Karolinska will speak on combining information from trial participants and non-participants in registry-based trials.
All welcome online 25 September.
More info:
www.vicbiostat.org.au/event/combin...
Camila Olarte Parra from @causalab.bsky.social Karolinska will speak on combining information from trial participants and non-participants in registry-based trials.
All welcome online 25 September.
More info:
www.vicbiostat.org.au/event/combin...
Reposted
Out today 🚨 Our Cochrane review of 67 RCTs finds no clear evidence of benefit for ketamine or other NMDA antagonists for chronic pain. IV ketamine associated with risk of psychotomimetic effects, nausea, and vomiting. doi.org/10.1002/1465...
Ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain - Ferraro, MC - 2025 | Cochrane Library
Select your preferred language for Cochrane reviews and other content. Sections without translation will be in English.
doi.org
August 18, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Out today 🚨 Our Cochrane review of 67 RCTs finds no clear evidence of benefit for ketamine or other NMDA antagonists for chronic pain. IV ketamine associated with risk of psychotomimetic effects, nausea, and vomiting. doi.org/10.1002/1465...
Reposted
📌 The SPIRIT 2025 statement updates the guidelines for randomized trial protocols to enhance their completeness, transparency, and consistency, benefiting stakeholders involved in clinical research.
ja.ma/4fzMVZS
ja.ma/4fzMVZS
August 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
📌 The SPIRIT 2025 statement updates the guidelines for randomized trial protocols to enhance their completeness, transparency, and consistency, benefiting stakeholders involved in clinical research.
ja.ma/4fzMVZS
ja.ma/4fzMVZS
Reposted
Systematic reviewers have a 10.7% error rate when screening papers for potential inclusion.
In other words, about 1 in 9 abstracts are categorised incorrectly (i.e., false inclusion or false exclusion). This really drives home the benefit of having at least two screeners
In other words, about 1 in 9 abstracts are categorised incorrectly (i.e., false inclusion or false exclusion). This really drives home the benefit of having at least two screeners
Error rates of human reviewers during abstract screening in systematic reviews
Background Automated approaches to improve the efficiency of systematic reviews are greatly needed. When testing any of these approaches, the criterion standard of comparison (gold standard) is usuall...
doi.org
August 13, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Systematic reviewers have a 10.7% error rate when screening papers for potential inclusion.
In other words, about 1 in 9 abstracts are categorised incorrectly (i.e., false inclusion or false exclusion). This really drives home the benefit of having at least two screeners
In other words, about 1 in 9 abstracts are categorised incorrectly (i.e., false inclusion or false exclusion). This really drives home the benefit of having at least two screeners
Reposted
This decline is not limited to the United States. It has been happening in many countries.
August 13, 2025 at 10:23 AM
This decline is not limited to the United States. It has been happening in many countries.
Reposted
Death rates from cardiovascular disease have been falling for a long time, but we rarely hear about it.
@scientificdiscovery.dev looks at some of the medical innovations and changes in risk factors that are behind this: ourworldindata.org/cardiovascul...
@scientificdiscovery.dev looks at some of the medical innovations and changes in risk factors that are behind this: ourworldindata.org/cardiovascul...
August 13, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Death rates from cardiovascular disease have been falling for a long time, but we rarely hear about it.
@scientificdiscovery.dev looks at some of the medical innovations and changes in risk factors that are behind this: ourworldindata.org/cardiovascul...
@scientificdiscovery.dev looks at some of the medical innovations and changes in risk factors that are behind this: ourworldindata.org/cardiovascul...