NDLI: Addressing the credibility crisis in Mendelian randomization

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Burgess, Stephen Woolf, Benjamin Mason, Amy M. Ala-Korpela, Mika Gill, Dipender
Abstract	Background Genome-wide association studies have enabled Mendelian randomization analyses to be performed at an industrial scale. Two-sample summary data Mendelian randomization analyses can be performed using publicly available data by anyone who has access to the internet. While this has led to many insightful papers, it has also fuelled an explosion of poor-quality Mendelian randomization publications, which threatens to undermine the credibility of the whole approach. Findings We detail five pitfalls in conducting a reliable Mendelian randomization investigation: (1) inappropriate research question, (2) inappropriate choice of variants as instruments, (3) insufficient interrogation of findings, (4) inappropriate interpretation of findings, and (5) lack of engagement with previous work. We have provided a brief checklist of key points to consider when performing a Mendelian randomization investigation; this does not replace previous guidance, but highlights critical analysis choices. Journal editors should be able to identify many low-quality submissions and reject papers without requiring peer review. Peer reviewers should focus initially on key indicators of validity; if a paper does not satisfy these, then the paper may be meaningless even if it is technically flawless. Conclusions Performing an informative Mendelian randomization investigation requires critical thought and collaboration between different specialties and fields of research.
Related Links	https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12916-024-03607-5.pdf
Ending Page	9
Page Count	9
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	17417015
DOI	10.1186/s12916-024-03607-5
Journal	BMC Medicine
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	22
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2024-09-11
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Medicine Public Health Biomedicine Causal inference Genetic epidemiology Instrumental variables Evidence synthesis Risk of bias Bias evaluation Medicine/Public Health
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Review
Subject	Medicine
Journal Impact Factor	7.1/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	8.8/2023

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

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