Distorted study results because participants misremember or selectively report past exposures.
Recall bias arises when study participants' ability to remember past events or exposures differs systematically depending on their outcome status, such as injured athletes recalling training loads more (or less) accurately than uninjured controls. It is a major threat to validity in retrospective and case-control designs relying on self-reported history (e.g., training logs, prior injuries, symptom onset). It cannot be corrected statistically after the fact, so appraisal should focus on whether the study used prospective data collection or objective records to minimise it.
This guide was auto-drafted and is pending editorial review.