Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:16:13.849Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Groundhog Day: research without old data and old references

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2022

Barry A. Hong Open the ORCID record for Barry A. Hong [Opens in a new window] ,
David E. Pollio ,
Dana L. Downs ,
Daniel W. Coyne  and
Carol S. North
Barry A. Hong*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA The Altshuler Center for Education & Research at Metrocare Services, Dallas, TX, USA
David E. Pollio
Affiliation:
The Altshuler Center for Education & Research at Metrocare Services, Dallas, TX, USA Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC, USA
Dana L. Downs
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Daniel W. Coyne
Affiliation:
John T. Milliken Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Carol S. North
Affiliation:
The Altshuler Center for Education & Research at Metrocare Services, Dallas, TX, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Barry A. Hong, E-mail: hongb@wustl.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

The use of older data and references is becoming increasingly disfavored for publication. A myopic focus on newer research risks losing sight of important research questions already addressed by now-invisible older studies. This creates a ‘Groundhog Day’ effect as illustrated by the 1993 movie of this name in which the protagonist has to relive the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over and over within a world with no memory of it. This article examines the consequences of the recent preference for newer data and references in current publication practices and is intended to stimulate new consideration of the utility of selected older data and references for the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Methods

Examples from the literature are used to exemplify the value of older data and older references. To illustrate the recency of references published in original medical research articles in a selected sample of recent academic medical journals, original research articles were examined in recent issues in selected psychiatry, medicine, and surgery journals.

Results

The literature examined reflected this article's initial assertion that journals are emphasizing the publication of research with newer data and more recent references.

Conclusions

The current valuation of newer data above older data fails to appreciate the fact that new data eventually become old, and that old data were once new. The bias demonstrated in arbitrary policies pertaining to older data and older references can be addressed by instituting comparable treatment of older and newer data and references.

Keywords

Citationdatarecencyrecentreference
Type
Commentary
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 52 , Issue 4 , March 2022 , pp. 625 - 631
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States Government.

References

Aksnes, D. W. (2005). Citations and their use as indicators in science policy: studies of validity and applicability issues with a particular focus on highly cited papers. Doctoral thesis, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dag-Aksnes-2/publication/238688763_Citations_and_their_use_as_indicators_in_science_policy_studies_of_validity_and_applicability_issues_with_a_particular_focus_on_highly_cited_papers/links/544282220cf2a76a3ccb00e6/Citations-and-their-use-as-indicators-in-science-policy-studies-of-validity-and-applicability-issues-with-a-particular-focus-on-highly-cited-papers.pdf.Google Scholar
Aksnes, D. W., Langfeldt, G., & Wouters, P. (2019). Citations, citation indicators, and research quality: An overview of basic concepts and theories. SAGE Open, 2019(1), 1–17.Google Scholar
American_Journal_of_Public_Health (2021). Author instructions. Washington, DC, USA: American Public Health Association.Google Scholar
Back2BU (2018). 70 Years, 15,000 participants, 3,716 research papers: Celebrating the Framingham Heart Study. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Boston University Medical Campus.Google Scholar
Crum, R. M., Storr, C. L., Chan, Y. F., & Ford, D. E. (2004). Sleep disturbance and risk for alcohol-related problems. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(7), 1197–1203. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.161.7.1197CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dawber, T. R., Meadors, G. F., & Moore, F. E. Jr. (1951). Epidemiological approaches to heart disease: The Framingham Study. American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health, 41(3), 279–281. doi:10.2105/ajph.41.3.279CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dawber, T. R., Moore, F. E., & Mann, G. V. (1957). Coronary heart disease in the Framingham study. American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health, 47(4 Pt 2), 4–24. doi: 10.2105/ajph.47.4_pt_2.4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edwards, L. E., & Mezuk, B. (2012). Anxiety and risk of type 2 diabetes: Evidence from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 73(6), 418–423. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2012.09.018CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feinleib, M. (1985). The Framingham Study: Sample selection, follow-up, and methods of analyses. National Cancer institute Monograph, 67, 59–64. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4047152.Google ScholarPubMed
Fleury, M. J., Grenier, G., Bamvita, J. M., Perreault, M., & Caron, J. (2014). Predictors of alcohol and drug dependence. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 59(4), 203–212. doi: 10.1177/070674371405900405CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). Mini-mental state. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12(3), 189–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glass, J. E., & Bucholz, K. K. (2011). Concordance between self-reports and archival records of physician visits: A case-control study comparing individuals with and without alcohol use disorders in the community. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 116(1–3), 57–63. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.11.021CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodwin, R. D., & Eaton, W. W. (2005). Asthma, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts: Findings from the Baltimore epidemiologic catchment area follow-up. American Journal of Public Health, 95(4), 717–722. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2003.019109CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gross, A. L., Gallo, J. J., & Eaton, W. W. (2010). Depression and cancer risk: 24 years of follow-up of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area sample. Cancer Causes & Control, 21(2), 191–199. doi: 10.1007/s10552-009-9449-1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henriksen, C. A., Mather, A. A., Mackenzie, C. S., Bienvenu, O. J., & Sareen, J. (2014). Longitudinal associations of obesity with affective disorders and suicidality in the Baltimore epidemiologic catchment area follow-up study. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 202(5), 379–385. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000135CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
JAMA Network (2021). Instructions for authors. Chicago, Illinois, USA: American Medical Association.Google Scholar
Jemielniak, D., Masukume, G., & Wiliamowski, M. (2019). The most influential medical journals according to Wikipedia: Quantitative analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(1), e11429.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendler, K. S., Munoz, R. A., & Murphy, G. (2010). The development of the Feighner criteria: A historical perspective. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(2), 134–142. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09081155CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krasnova, A., Eaton, W. W., & Samuels, J. F. (2019). Antisocial personality and risks of cause-specific mortality: Results from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study with 27 years of follow-up. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 54(5), 617–625. doi: 10.1007/s00127-018-1628-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kubzansky, L. D., Koenen, K. C., Jones, C., & Eaton, W. W. (2009). A prospective study of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and coronary heart disease in women. Health Psychology, 28(1), 125–130. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.28.1.125CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Lakatos, I. (1999). For and against method: Including Lakatos’ lectures on scientific method and the Lakatos-Feyerabend correspondence. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larson, S. L., Owens, P. L., Ford, D., & Eaton, W. (2001). Depressive disorder, dysthymia, and risk of stroke: Thirteen-year follow-up from the Baltimore epidemiologic catchment area study. Stroke, 32(9), 1979–1983. doi: 10.1161/hs0901.094623CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lauterbach, E. C., Freeman, A., & Vogel, R. L. (2004). Differential DSM-III psychiatric disorder prevalence profiles in dystonia and Parkinson's disease. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 16(1), 29–36. doi: 10.1176/jnp.16.1.29CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, M. H., Pfefferbaum, B., Portley, R., Kotamarti, V., Canan, F., & North, C. S. (2021). The association between child and parent psychiatric disorders in families exposed to flood and/or dioxin. Behavioral Sciences (Basel), 11(4), 1–18. doi: 10.3390/bs11040046.Google ScholarPubMed
Lewis, C. E., & North, C. S. (2021). Patterns of alcohol consumption data over 21 years following hospitalization for alcohol use disorder. Journal of Addiction and Addictive Disorders, accepted for publication.Google Scholar
Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., & Randall, R. J. (1951). Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 193(1), 265–275. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14907713.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maulik, P. K., Eaton, W. W., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2009). The role of social network and support in mental health service use: Findings from the Baltimore ECA study. Psychiatric Services, 60(9), 1222–1229. doi: 10.1176/ps.2009.60.9.1222CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayes, R., & Horwitz, A. V. (2005). DSM-III and the revolution in the classification of mental illness. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 41(3), 249–267. doi: 10.1002/jhbs.20103CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mazhari, S. (2013). The 100 top-cited articles published in psychiatric journals. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 19(4), 327–338. doi: 10.1097/01.pra.0000432604.06835.daCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKinsey, D. S., McKinsey, J. P., & Enriquez, M. (2018). The 1918 influenza in Missouri: Centennial remembrance of the crisis. Missouri Medicine, 115(4), 319–324. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30228752.Google ScholarPubMed
Meehl, P. E. (1978). Theoretical risk and tabular asterisks Sir Karl, Sir Ronald, and the slow progress of soft psychology. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46, 806–834.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mezuk, B., Lohman, M., Dumenci, L., & Lapane, K. L. (2013). Are depression and frailty overlapping syndromes in mid- and late-life? A latent variable analysis. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(6), 560–569. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2012.12.019CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Michelini, G., Palumbo, I. M., DeYoung, C. G., Latzman, R. D., & Kotov, R. (2021). Linking RDoC and HiTOP: A new interface for advancing psychiatric nosology and neuroscience. Clinical Psychology Review, 86, 102025. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102025CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Munro, C. A., Wennberg, A. M., Bienko, N., Eaton, W. W., Lyketsos, C. G., & Spira, A. P. (2019). Stressful life events and cognitive decline: Sex differences in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Follow-Up Study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(7), 1008–1017. doi: 10.1002/gps.5102CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
North, C. S., Alpers, D. H., Thompson, S. J., & Spitznagel, E. L. (1996). Gastrointestinal symptoms and psychiatric disorders in the general population: Findings from the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area project. Digestive Diseases and Science, 41(4), 633–640. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8674382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
North, C. S., Dinwiddie, S., Cottler, C., & Spitznagel, E. L. (1991). Gender differences in sociopathy and somatization in men and women with homosexual experience. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 1, 89–99.Google Scholar
North, C. S., Eyrich, K. M., Pollio, D. E., & Spitznagel, E. L. (2004). Are rates of psychiatric disorders in the homeless population changing? Amerian Journal of Public Health, 94(1), 103–108. doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.1.103CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
North, C. S., Kotamarti, V. K., & Pollio, D. E. (2021). Deconstructing childhood conduct and adult antisocial criteria for the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, accepted for publication.Google Scholar
North, C. S., & Yutzy, S. H. (2018). Goodwin and Guze's psychiatric diagnosis (7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patsopoulos, N. A., & Ioannidis, J. P. (2009). The use of older studies in meta-analyses of medical interventions: A survey. Open Medicine, 3(2), e62–e68. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19946395.Google ScholarPubMed
Popper, K. (1983). Realism and the aim of science: Postscript to the logic of scientific discovery (Vol. 1). London, England: Hurtchinson.Google Scholar
Ramsey, C. M., Leoutsakos, J. M., Mayer, L. S., Eaton, W. W., & Lee, H. B. (2010). History of manic and hypomanic episodes and risk of incident cardiovascular disease: 11.5 year follow-up from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 125(1–3), 35–41. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2009.12.024CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Regier, D. A., Myers, J. K., Kramer, M., Robins, L. N., Blazer, D. G., Hough, R. L., … Locke, B. Z. (1984). The NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) program: Historical context, major objectives, and study population characteristics. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 934–941.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robins, L. N., Helzer, J. E., Weissman, M. M., Orvaschel, H., Gruenberg, E., Burke, J. D. Jr., & Regier, D. A. (1984). Lifetime prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders in three sites. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41(10), 949–958. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1984.01790210031005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silver, J. M., Kramer, R., Greenwald, S., & Weissman, M. (2001). The association between head injuries and psychiatric disorders: Findings from the New Haven NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Brain Injury, 15(11), 935–945. doi: 10.1080/02699050110065295CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sluyter, A. (2005). Recentism in environmental history on Latin America. Environmental History, 10(1), 91–93.Google Scholar
Surís, A., Holliday, R., & North, C. S. (2016). The evolution of the classification of psychiatric disorders. Behavioural Sciences (Basel), 6(1), 496–517. doi: 10.3390/bs6010005.Google ScholarPubMed
The Pharmaceutical Journal (2014). How to write a reference list. London, England: Royal Pharmaceutical Society.Google Scholar
Thrower, P. (2012). Eight reasons I rejected your article. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier.Google Scholar
van Noorden, R., Maher, B., & Nuzzo, R. (2014). The top 100 papers. Nature, 514(7524), 550–553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verstak, A., Acharya, A., Suzuki, H., Henderson, S., Iakhiaev, M., Chiung Yu Lin, C., & Shetty, N. (2014). On the shoulders of giants: The growing impact of older articles. Google, Inc. Retrieved from https://arxiv.org/abs/1411.0275.Google Scholar
Welsh, J., Lu, Y., Dhruva, S. S., Bikdeli, B., Desai, N. R., Benchetrit, L., … Krumholz, H. M. (2018). Age of data at the time of publication of contemporary clinical trials. JAMA Network Open, 1(4), e181065. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.1065CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woolley, S. B., Fredman, L., Goethe, J. W., Lincoln, A. K., & Heeren, T. (2008). Headache complaints and the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 196(11), 822–828. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31818b4e4fCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Hong et al. supplementary material

Hong et al. supplementary material

Download Hong et al. supplementary material(File)
File 57.5 KB