Abstract

GIL, Jacky F  and  CASTANEDA, Javier A. A Look at p-values in Research. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2005, vol.34, n.3, pp.414-424. ISSN 0034-7450.

Researchers and spontaneous readers both have to face several challenges when they are looking for evidence in scientific papers, especially when statistical procedures are developed during the analysis phase, such as the use of hypothesis testing and p-values. This paper offers concepts and pointers to assist researchers and readers of scientific literature to identify and understand the components within a statistical test of hypothesis, to appropriately interpret p-values, to recognize the advantages in using confidence intervals rather than pvalues, to establish the difference between statistical significance and clinical relevance in the use of hypothesis testing and to recognize the importance of sample size calculation from the beginning of a study.

Keywords : Statistic; sample size; confidence intervals.

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