Fabricating data: How substituting values for nondetects can ruin results, and what can be done about it
Fabricating data: How substituting values for nondetects can ruin results, and what can be done about it
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.04.051
复制
发表时间：
2006-12-01
期刊：
影响因子：
8.8
通讯作者：
Helsel, Dennis R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Helsel, Dennis R.
环境化学中处理低于检测限的值最常用的方法是用检测限的一部分代替每一个未检测到的值。20年的研究表明，这种价值的捏造产生了统计数据的错误估计，并且通常掩盖了数据中的模式和趋势。使用替代的论文可能会得出不存在显著差异、相关性和回归关系的结论，而事实上它们确实存在。反之亦然。幸运的是，处理未检测的好的替代方法已经存在，并且在这里参考原始来源进行了总结。在科学研究中，用数值代替未检出值应该很少使用，而且通常应该被认为是不可接受的。有更好的办法。
The most commonly used method in environmental chemistry to deal with values below detection limits is to substitute a fraction of the detection limit for each nondetect. Two decades of research has shown that this fabrication of values produces poor estimates of statistics, and commonly obscures patterns and trends in the data. Papers using substitution may conclude that significant differences, correlations, and regression relationships do not exist, when in fact they do. The reverse may also be true. Fortunately, good alternative methods for dealing with nondetects already exist, and are summarized here with references to original sources. Substituting values for nondetects should be used rarely, and should generally be considered unacceptable in scientific research. There are better ways.