Effective management of missing values is essential to maintain the integrity of toxicological data. Strategies include:
Imputation Techniques: Methods such as mean substitution, regression imputation, or multiple imputation can estimate missing values based on available data, thus preserving the dataset's completeness. Listwise Deletion: This involves removing any observations with missing values. While straightforward, it can lead to loss of valuable data, especially if missing values are frequent. Pairwise Deletion: Only specific analyses exclude missing values, using all available data wherever possible. Sensitivity Analysis: Conducting a sensitivity analysis helps determine how conclusions might change under various assumptions about the missing data. Data Collection Improvement: Enhancing data collection methods and ensuring rigorous protocols can minimize future occurrences of missing values.
