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The hidden effect of time
1Section of Medical Statistics, MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, U.K.
Statistics in Medicine
|June 1, 1988
Abstract:
It is customary to regard datasets as homogeneous with respect to the order of collection of the measurements. Examples are given in which this assumption is breached. Hidden time trends have implications for the design of studies, their analysis and interpretation. It is suggested that, if the order of observations is known, a plot by time should be performed, perhaps using a cusum.