IF ENOUGH PEOPLE SAY IT, IT BECOMES TRUE BIAS:

Interpreting a study favorably because a group of experts have already reviewed the study and interpreted it favorably, or because it was published in a high impact journal¹. Essentially, jumping on the bandwagon, backing the winner, or agreeing with the status quo.

It is often difficult for an individual to disagree with a group’s opinion on a topic. Thus, it is often safer (i.e. fewer financial, personal, political consequences) for scientists, granting agencies, and editorial committees of medical journals to simply agree and conform to commonly accepted lines of thought. A scientific belief may exist because it is actually true, or because enough people have ignored the possibility that it may be false. If Enough People Say It, It Becomes True Bias may slow the development of scientific knowledge, since the more scientists’ agree on a line of thought, the more difficult it becomes to dispute it.

Enough People Say It, It Becomes True Bias is a type of Interpretive Bias, and can be avoided by ensuring scientists believe they have the freedom to evaluate the validity of scientific knowledge without persecution. Also see: Interpretive Bias, and Prestige Bias.

Reference:

1. McCormack J, Greenhalgh T. Seeing what you want to see in randomised controlled trials: versions and perversions of UKPDS data. United Kingdom prospective diabetes study. Bmj. 2000;320(7251):1720-3. (Link to Reference)