title: The fallacy of free extrapolation.
abstract: In determining the meaning of a study for other populations or situations, the investigator and the reviewer must be leery of extrapolating beyond the range of the data. They must beware of the ecological fallacies which can occur when population data are not linked to individual data. They must be conscious of the underlying assumptions to avoid drawing invalid conclusions about one population from valid studies on another. Finally, they must take into account the differences between the study population and the general population.
mesh_terms: D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D012106:Research; D012306:Risk