R0007/2026-03-20/C001/SRC01
O'Boyle & Aguinis (2012) — Primary paper on performance distributions
Source
| Field |
Value |
| Title |
The Best and the Rest: Revisiting the Norm of Normality of Individual Performance |
| Publisher |
Personnel Psychology (Wiley) |
| Author(s) |
Ernest O'Boyle Jr., Herman Aguinis |
| Date |
2012 |
| URL |
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01239.x |
| Type |
Research paper |
Summary
| Dimension |
Rating |
| Reliability |
High |
| Relevance |
High |
| Bias: Missing data |
Low risk |
| Bias: Measurement |
Some concerns |
| Bias: Selective reporting |
Low risk |
| Bias: Randomization |
N/A — not an RCT |
| Bias: Protocol deviation |
N/A — not an RCT |
| Bias: COI/Funding |
Low risk |
Rationale
| Dimension |
Rationale |
| Reliability |
Peer-reviewed in a top-tier I/O psychology journal. Over 1000 citations. Won Best Article award. |
| Relevance |
This is the exact paper cited in the claim — maximum relevance. |
| Bias flags |
Measurement concern noted by Beck et al. 2014: the types of performance measures used (output-based) may favor non-normal distributions. This is a legitimate methodological debate, not a flaw. |
| Evidence ID |
Summary |
| SRC01-E01 |
Study parameters: 5 studies, 198 samples, 633,263 individuals, Paretian distribution |
| SRC01-E02 |
Output concentration percentages and Paretian distribution properties |