{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreihbizli35ospovc2jn6cyqhjkgnoa7ce5jg65tekmpacqzwmzkhum",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:wwyqal4cnqhuwyacdj7rqq3n/app.bsky.feed.post/3mic4rgpjguj2"
  },
  "path": "/t/thinking-clearly-about-association-studies-risk-factors-and-causal-salad-included/28679#post_12",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-30T12:48:57.000Z",
  "site": "https://discourse.datamethods.org",
  "textContent": "Blah- Jiaqi, you should write a book about your experiences some day\n\nChoosing not to draw a DAG because 1) you don’t know how; 2) are afraid it will delay your manuscript/publication; and/or 3) are afraid that a DAG could force more careful covariate adjustment and generate a less eye-catching result is one thing. These are passive errors- errors of _omission_. But the scenarios you describe go way beyond this- they represent an active effort to distort study results. This egregious type of behaviour most definitely reflects a personal failure on the part of the researcher.\n\nI’m sure your experiences are not unique and they certainly don’t restore confidence in the observational research ecosystem.",
  "title": "Thinking Clearly about Association Studies (Risk Factors and Causal Salad included)"
}