Keele Research Repository

Editorial
Statistical significance is the bedrock of evidence-based medicine, crucial for decision-making and framing biomedical science policies. The emergence of complex data in many disciplines, resulting from the analysis of large datasets, has amplified the popularity of p-values. Its simplicity allows investigators to conclude and disseminate their research findings in a manner understood by most. Thus, obtaining a p-value that indicates “statistical significance” against the null hypothesis is often required for publishing in medical journals. However, it creates challenges due to nonreproducibility, misuse and overinterpretation, which lead to serious methodological errors. This article aims to draw biomedical researchers' attention toward the appropriate use of p-values in clinical decision-making.