Log transformation: application and interpretation in biomedical research

Abstract

The log transformation has been widely used in biomedical research to deal with the skewed data. However, in the medical publications, we have found many misuses and misinterpretations of analysis based on log-transformed data. In this paper, we list some common scenarios of misuse and misinterpretation of log transformation in biomedical applications. We also provide both theoretical and practical justifications to support our viewpoints.