Internal validity [Neurosurgery Wiki]

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====== Internal validity ======
The internal [[validity]] or [[credibility]] of the [[study]] is the capacity of the [[result]]s to support a [[causality]]. In other words, the observed difference in outcome between groups is attributable only to the effect of the [[intervention]] under [[investigation]]. The internal validity is assessed by adequacy of [[allocation]] sequence, concealment of [[allocation]] sequence, [[blinding]], the balance of prognostic factors, [[inten-to-treat]] analysis, and completeness of follow-up. The reviewers need to have the ability to recognize the relationship between an explanatory factor and an outcome and to identify other variables ([[confounding factor]]s) or [[systematic error]] (bias) that can distort the results. [[Confounding factor]]s and study [[bias]] are different problems in the study that lead to an inaccurate estimate (underestimate or overestimate) of the true association between exposure and an outcome
((Falavigna A, Blauth M, Kates SL. Critical review of a scientific manuscript: a
practical guide for reviewers. J Neurosurg. 2018 Jan;128(1):312-321. doi:
10.3171/2017.5.JNS17809. Epub 2017 Oct 20. PubMed PMID: 29053077.
)).