Alphabetical list of biases, indicating their type and the design where they can occur
Specific name of bias | Group of bias | Subgroup of bias (next level to specific name) | Type of design affected |
---|---|---|---|
Allocation of intervention bias | Execution of an intervention | Trial | |
Apprehension bias | Information bias | Observer bias | All studies |
Ascertainment bias | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Observational study |
Berkson’s bias | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Hospital based case-control study |
Centripetal bias | Selection bias | Healthcare access bias | Observational study |
Citation bias | Selection bias | Lack of accuracy of sampling frame | Systematic review/meta-analysis |
Competing risks | Selection bias | Ascertainment bias | All studies |
Compliance bias | Execution of an intervention | Trial | |
Confounding by group | Confounding | Ecological study | |
Confounding by indication | Confounding | Case-control study, cohort study | |
Contamination bias | Execution of an intervention | Trial, mainly community trials | |
Detection bias | Selection bias | Uneven diagnostic procedures in the target population | Case-control study |
Detection bias | Information bias | Misclassification bias | Cohort study |
Diagnostic/treatment access bias | Selection bias | Healthcare access bias | Observational study |
Diagnostic suspicion bias | Selection bias | Detection bias | Case-control study |
Diagnostic suspicion bias | Information bias | Detection bias | Cohort study |
Differential maturing | Trial | ||
Differential misclassification bias | Information bias | Misclassification bias | All studies |
Dissemination bias | Selection bias | Lack of accuracy of sampling frame | Systematic review/meta-analysis |
Ecological fallacy | Information bias | Ecological study | |
Exclusion bias | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Case-control study |
Exposure suspicion bias | Information bias | Recall bias | Case-control study |
Family aggregation bias | Information bias | Reporting bias | Observational study |
Friend control bias | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Case-control study |
Hawthorne effect | Information bias | Trial | |
Healthcare access bias | Selection bias | Ascertainment bias | Observational study |
Healthy volunteer bias | Selection bias | Non-response bias | Observational study |
Healthy worker effect | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Cohort study (mainly retrospective) |
Incidence-prevalence bias (synonym of Neyman bias) | |||
Inclusion bias | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Hospital based case-control study |
Lack of intention to treat analysis | Randomised trial | ||
Language bias | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Systematic review/meta-analysis |
Lead-time bias | Information bias | Screening study | |
Length biased sampling | Selection bias | Ascertainment bias | Cross sectional study, screening |
Losses/withdrawals to follow up | Selection bias | During study implementation | Cohort study, trial |
Mimicry bias | Selection bias | Detection bias | Case-control study |
Mimicry bias | Information bias | Detection bias | Cohort study |
Misclassification bias | Information bias | All studies | |
Missing information in multivariable analysis | Selection bias | During study implementation | All studies (mainly retrospective) |
Mode for mean bias | Information bias | Reporting bias | All studies |
Neyman bias | Selection bias | Ascertainment bias | Cross sectional study, case-control study with prevalent cases |
Non-differential misclassification bias | Information bias | Misclassification bias | All studies |
Non-random sampling bias | Selection bias | Lack of accuracy of sampling frame | Observational study |
Non-response bias | Selection bias | During study implementation | Observational study |
Obsequiousness bias | Information bias | Reporting bias | All studies |
Observer expectation bias | Information bias | Observer bias | All studies |
Observer/interviewer bias | Information bias | Misclassification bias | All studies |
Overmatching | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Case-control study |
Participant expectation bias | Information bias | Recall bias | Trial |
Popularity bias | Selection bias | Healthcare access bias | Observational study |
Post hoc analysis | Selection bias | Publication bias | Systematic review/meta-analysis |
Protopathic bias | Information bias | Observational study | |
Publication bias | Selection bias | Lack of accuracy of sampling frame | Systematic review/meta-analysis |
Purity diagnostic bias | Selection bias | Spectrum bias | Validity of diagnostic tests |
Recall bias | Information bias | Misclassification bias | All studies |
Referral filter bias | Selection bias | Healthcare access bias | Observational study |
Regression dilution bias | Information bias | Regression to the mean | Cohort study, trial |
Regression to the mean | Information bias | Cohort study, trial | |
Relative control bias | Selection bias | Inappropriate definition of the eligible population | Case-control study |
Reporting bias | Information bias | Misclassification bias | All studies |
Rumination bias | Information bias | Recall bias | Case-control study, retrospective cohort study |
Selective survival bias (synonym of Neyman bias) | |||
Sick quitter bias | Information bias | Protopathic bias | Observational study |
Spectrum bias | Selection bias | Ascertainment bias | Validity of diagnostic tests (mainly case-control study) |
Survivor treatment selection bias | Selection bias | Ascertainment bias | Cohort study (mainly retrospective) |
Susceptibility bias (synonym of confounding) | |||
Telephone random sampling bias | Selection bias | Non-random sampling bias | Observational study |
Temporal ambiguity | Information bias | Cross sectional study, ecological study | |
Unacceptable disease/exposure | Information bias | Reporting bias | Observational study |
Underreporting bias | Information bias | Reporting bias | Observational study |
Unmasking—detection signal—bias | Selection bias | Detection bias | Case-control study |
Verification bias (synonym of work up bias) | |||
Will Rogers phenomenon | Information bias | Prognostic (mainly cohort) study | |
Work up bias | Information bias | Validity of diagnostic test (retrospective study) |