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The Power of Tests for Detecting $p$-Hacking

Graham Elliott, Nikolay Kudrin, Kaspar Wüthrich

arXiv 16 May 2022 · Econometrics · publishedThe Review of Economics and Statistics (2025) · 1 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:2205.07950 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

A flourishing empirical literature investigates the prevalence of $p$-hacking based on the distribution of $p$-values across studies. Interpreting results in this literature requires a careful understanding of the power of methods for detecting $p$-hacking. We theoretically study the implications of likely forms of $p$-hacking on the distribution of $p$-values to understand the power of tests for detecting it. Power can be low and depends crucially on the $p$-hacking strategy and the distribution of true effects. Combined tests for upper bounds and monotonicity and tests for continuity of the $p$-curve tend to have the highest power for detecting $p$-hacking.

Citation extraction

57
references
114
in-text mentions
57
distinct cited
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13,631
main-text words

appendix boundary found by appendix_command · 57% of the source is main text. Read the extracted text to check this.

Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Brodeur, A., Cook, N., and Heyes, A (2020) Methods matter: p-hacking and publication bias in causal analysis in economics1.000105100%
2Simonsohn, U., Nelson, L. D., and Simmons, J. P (2014) P-curve: a key to the file-drawer1.00074100%
3Elliott, G., Kudrin, N., and Wüthrich, K (2022) Detecting p-hacking self0.94720885%
4Cox, G. and Shi, X (2022) Simple Adaptive Size-Exact Testing for Full-Vector and Subvector Inference in Moment Inequality Models0.87452100%
5Brodeur, A., Cook, N., and Heyes, A (2022) Methods matter: P-hacking and publication bias in causal analysis in economics0.73732100%
6Cattaneo, M. D., Jansson, M., and Ma, X (2020) Simple local polynomial density estimators0.73732100%
7Head, M. L., Holman, L., Lanfear, R., Kahn, A. T., and Jennions, M. D (2015) The extent and consequences of p-hacking in science0.73732100%
8Kudrin, N (2024) Testing for and evaluating the extent of selective reporting self0.73732100%
9Andrews, I. and Kasy, M (2019) Identification of and correction for publication bias0.64422100%
10Beare, B. K. and Moon, J.-M (2015) Nonparametric tests of density ratio ordering0.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 57 scored citations.

Cited by, within the corpus

arXiv econ.EM papers that cite this one, ranked by how heavily they lean on it.

Citing paperIntensityMentionsSections
1When is $p$-hacking detectable?0.92843
2Literature Review and Evidence Aggregation: a Toolkit for Applied Micro0.84343