bias-detection

---

name: bias-detection description: Assess systematic biases in the evidence body — publication bias, reporting bias, and selective outcome reporting. Budget: 40 studies, 40 effect sizes, 40 web searches. used-by: meta-analysis

Bias Detection Strategy

Design a protocol to systematically assess biases that threaten the validity of meta-analytic conclusions.

Purpose

Bias in the evidence body (publication bias, outcome reporting bias, citation bias, time-lag bias, language bias) can invalidate pooled estimates. This strategy designs the complete bias detection and adjustment protocol — funnel plots, statistical tests, sensitivity analyses, and GRADE certainty downgrading.

Budget

Resource	Floor	Target
Studies identified	28	40
Effect sizes extracted	28	40
Web searches	28	40
Bias domains assessed	5	8
Quality assessments	20	40

Budget gate: cannot exit until 80% of floor met.

State Ledger

<HARD-GATE>
| Metric | Current | Floor | Target | Status |
|--------|---------|-------|--------|--------|
| Studies found | 0 | 28 | 40 | BLOCKED |
| Effect sizes planned | 0 | 28 | 40 | BLOCKED |
| Web searches done | 0 | 28 | 40 | BLOCKED |
| Bias domains assessed | 0 | 5 | 8 | BLOCKED |
| Quality assessed | 0 | 20 | 40 | BLOCKED |
</HARD-GATE>

Available Tactics

Tactic	When to Use
effect-size-extraction	Extract effect sizes with precision (SE, CI)
quality-assessment-protocol	Full RoB2 assessment per study
evidence-synthesis-planning	Plan bias-adjusted models

Available SOPs

SOP	When to Use
pico-formulation	Frame the evidence assessment question
inclusion-criteria-design	Include grey literature, preprints
effect-size-planning	Ensure precision metrics extracted
data-extraction-form	Template capturing reporting completeness
risk-of-bias-assessment	Per-study RoB (core of this strategy)
publication-bias-assessment	Core SOP — funnel plots, statistical tests
sensitivity-analysis-design	Trim-and-fill, selection models
heterogeneity-source-analysis	Bias as heterogeneity driver
meta-analysis-synthesis	Final bias assessment protocol

Execution Guidance

1. Frame — Run pico-formulation for the evidence reliability question
2. Scope — Run inclusion-criteria-design maximizing source diversity (grey lit, preprints, registries)
3. Search — Search for published AND unpublished studies, trial registries
4. Extract — Use effect-size-extraction with precision metrics (SE, CI, N)
5. Assess — Use quality-assessment-protocol for comprehensive RoB2
6. Detect — Run publication-bias-assessment for statistical detection plan
7. Investigate — Run heterogeneity-source-analysis for bias-driven heterogeneity
8. Adjust — Run sensitivity-analysis-design for bias-adjustment methods
9. Synthesize — Run meta-analysis-synthesis for final protocol

Web searches target: trial registries, grey literature databases, dissertation repositories, conference abstracts.

Output Format

protocol:
  question: [Is the evidence body for X biased?]
  bias_domains:
    publication_bias:
      visual: [funnel plot, contour-enhanced funnel]
      statistical: [Egger's test, Begg's test, Peters' test]
      adjustment: [trim-and-fill, Copas selection model, PET-PEESE]
    outcome_reporting_bias:
      detection: [registry-publication comparison]
      tool: [ROB-ME, ORBIT]
    time_lag_bias:
      detection: [time-to-publication analysis]
    citation_bias:
      detection: [citation network analysis]
    language_bias:
      mitigation: [multi-language search strategy]
    small_study_effects:
      detection: [funnel asymmetry, regression tests]
      adjustment: [limit meta-analysis]
  grey_literature_search: [databases, registries, contacts]
  grade_assessment:
    domain: publication_bias
    downgrading_criteria: [when to downgrade certainty]
  sensitivity_plan: [selection model, 3PSM, p-curve, z-curve]
  reporting: PRISMA-2020 + ROB-ME guidelines