Strengthening the inference that an association has a cause-effect basis: ruling out spurious associations
Type of spurious association
- Bias (due to systematic error)
Design phase (How to prevent the rival explanation)
- Carefully consider the potential consequence between the research question and the study plan:
- Subject,
- Predictor,
- Outcome
Analysis phase (How to evaluate the rival explanation)
- Obtain additional data to see if potential biases have actually occurred.
- Check consistency with other studies (especially those using different methods).