Reich, NG; Perl, TM; Cummings, DAT; Lessler, J. 2011. Visualizing Clinical Evidence: Citation Networks for the Incubation Periods of Respiratory Viral Infections. PLOS ONE 6 (4): art. no.-e19496

[Eugene Garfield]

Reich, NG; Perl, TM; Cummings, DAT; Lessler, J. 2011. Visualizing Clinical 
Evidence: Citation Networks for the Incubation Periods of Respiratory Viral 
Infections. PLOS ONE 6 (4): art. no.-e19496.

Author Full Name(s): Reich, Nicholas G.; Perl, Trish M.; Cummings, Derek A. T.; 
Lessler, Justin
Document Type: Article
KeyWords Plus: INFLUENZA

Abstract: Simply by repetition, medical facts can become enshrined as truth 
even when there is little empirical evidence supporting them. We present an 
intuitive and clear visual design for tracking the citation history of a particular 
scientific fact over time. We apply this method to data from a previously 
published literature review on the incubation period of nine respiratory viral 
infections. The resulting citation networks reveal that the conventional wisdom 
about the incubation period for these diseases was based on a small fraction of 
available data and in one case, on no retrievable empirical evidence. Overall, 
50% of all incubation period statements did not provide a source for their 
estimate and 65% of original sources for incubation period data were not 
incorporated into subsequent publications. More standardized and widely 
available methods for visualizing these histories of medical evidence are needed 
to ensure that conventional wisdom cannot stray too far from empirically 
supported knowledge.

Addresses: [Reich, Nicholas G.; Cummings, Derek A. T.; Lessler, Justin] Johns 
Hopkins Bloomberg Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA; 
[Perl, Trish M.] Johns Hopkins Univ, Sch Med, Div Infect Dis, Baltimore, MD 
21205 USA
Reprint Address: Reich, NG, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sch Publ Hlth, Dept 
Epidemiol, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.

E-mail Address: nreich at jhsph.edu
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019496
fulltext: 
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0019496