Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Multiple Comparison Tests

Multiple Comparison Tests

Multiple comparison test, abbreviated as MCT, is a post hoc analysis generally performed after comparing multiple samples with one or more tests. An MCT will help identify a significantly different sample among multiple samples or a factor among multiple factors.
It would be easy to compare two samples using a significance alpha level of 0.05. In other words, there is only one sample pair to be compared. However, it would be difficult to identify a significantly different sample if the number...

Bonferroni Test

Bonferroni Test

The Bonferroni test is a statistical test named after Carlo Emilio Bonferroni, an Italian mathematician best known for Bonferroni inequalities. This statistical test is a type of multiple comparison test to determine which means are different than the rest. Bonferroni test can minimize the Type 1 error by reducing the significance level alpha, which otherwise increases with sample pairs.
The means of different samples are first paired in all possible combinations.
The null hypothesis of the...

Accuracy and Errors in Hypothesis Testing

Accuracy and Errors in Hypothesis Testing

Hypothesis testing is a fundamental statistical tool that begins with the assumption that the null hypothesis H0 is true. During this process, two types of errors can occur: Type I and Type II. A Type I error refers to the incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis, while a Type II error involves the failure to reject a false null hypothesis.
In hypothesis testing, the probability of making a Type I error, denoted as α, is commonly set at 0.05. This significance level indicates a 5% chance...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Cost-effectiveness of cast treatment vs. surgery in elderly patients with substantially displaced intra-articular distal radius fractures: A trial-based economic evaluation.

PloS one·2026

Same author

Protocol deviations in distal radius fracture follow-up in a virtual fracture care model.

European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society·2026

Same author

Intravenous lanadelumab for the treatment of moderately ill COVID-19 patients.

British journal of clinical pharmacology·2026

Same author

Comparing the posterolateral and the direct lateral approach for cemented hemiarthroplasty after femoral neck fracture: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Acta orthopaedica·2025

Same author

Long-term functional outcomes of non-operative treatment in patients with humeral surgical neck fractures.

European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society·2025

Same author

On the Two-Step Hybrid Design for Augmenting Randomized Trials Using Real-World Data.

Statistics in biopharmaceutical research·2025

Same journal

Sleep deprivation impairs gastric ulcer healing and induces anxiety-like behavior in rats.

BMC research notes·2026

Same journal

Caring across cultures: a qualitative exploration of Macedonian carers supporting community-dwelling older adults in a large regional city in Australia.

BMC research notes·2026

Same journal

Prevalence and determinants of dyslipidemia among residents of Kurdistan Region of Iraq; a community-based study.

BMC research notes·2026

Same journal

Modulation of brain-kidney crosstalk by olanzapine in aluminum chloride-induced memory impairment: a preclinical investigation.

BMC research notes·2026

Same journal

Tagged and untagged amyloid precursor protein E2 domain have comparable thermal stability and metal-ion binding propensity.

BMC research notes·2026

Same journal

Phenotypical and functional characterization of a HepG2 cell clone stably overexpressing cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9.

BMC research notes·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Biomechanical Testing of Murine Tendons

Biomechanical Testing of Murine Tendons

Published on: October 15, 2019

Multiple testing in orthopedic literature: a common problem?

Monique M J Walenkamp¹, Kit C B Roes, Mohit Bhandari

¹Trauma Unit, Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, P,O, Box 22660, Amsterdam 1100 DD, The Netherlands. m.m.walenkamp@amc.nl.

BMC Research Notes

|September 24, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

In orthopedic research, multiple statistical tests increase the risk of false positives. This study found that corrections for multiple testing are rarely applied, leaving a considerable risk of erroneous findings in published articles.

More Related Videos

Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis with Total Ankle Replacement Through a Lateral Transfibular Approach

Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis with Total Ankle Replacement Through a Lateral Transfibular Approach

Published on: January 24, 2018

Practical Considerations for the Design, Execution, and Interpretation of Studies Involving Whole-Bone Bending Tests of Rodent Bones

Practical Considerations for the Design, Execution, and Interpretation of Studies Involving Whole-Bone Bending Tests of Rodent Bones

Published on: September 1, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Biomechanical Testing of Murine Tendons

Biomechanical Testing of Murine Tendons

Published on: October 15, 2019

Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis with Total Ankle Replacement Through a Lateral Transfibular Approach

Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis with Total Ankle Replacement Through a Lateral Transfibular Approach

Published on: January 24, 2018

Practical Considerations for the Design, Execution, and Interpretation of Studies Involving Whole-Bone Bending Tests of Rodent Bones

Practical Considerations for the Design, Execution, and Interpretation of Studies Involving Whole-Bone Bending Tests of Rodent Bones

Published on: September 1, 2023

Area of Science:

Orthopedic research
Biostatistics
Scientific publishing

Background:

Multiple statistical tests in primary research can lead to an increased likelihood of type one errors (false positives).
Correction methods exist to mitigate the risks associated with multiple testing.
The frequency of multiple testing and correction application in orthopedic literature was previously unevaluated.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify the number of articles using multiple testing in two leading orthopedic journals.
To determine the percentage of these studies that applied corrections for multiple testing.
To estimate the risk of type one errors in studies that did not apply corrections.

Main Methods:

A systematic hand search of the 2010 annals of two orthopedic journals (A and B) was conducted.
Articles employing statistical inference were reviewed for the application of multiple testing.
Independent investigators assessed eligible publications against predefined criteria.

Main Results:

127 articles were included after screening 763 titles.
A median of 15 statistical inference results were reported per article.
Correction for multiple testing was applied in only 15% of articles in Journal A and 6% in Journal B.
The median risk of at least one significant false positive result in uncorrected studies was 54% for both journals.

Conclusions:

A significant proportion of orthopedic research articles employ multiple testing without appropriate corrections.
The risk of false significant findings in the reviewed orthopedic literature is substantial.
There is a low rate of applying multiple testing corrections in published orthopedic research.