Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T18:01:27.598Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Confidence - and clinical importance - in research findings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Martin J. Gardner  and
Douglas G. Altman
Martin J. Gardner*
Affiliation:
MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO9 4XY
Douglas G. Altman
Affiliation:
Medical Statistics Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, PO Box 123, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX
*
∗Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Testing the null hypothesis has been the cornerstone of much statistical theory and practice over the last few decades. During this time it has encroached on most disciplines and become widespread in use within them. There are now few research papers in the scientific literature where the outcome of one or more hypothesis tests is not reported. With this ‘progress' there has undoubtedly been an improvement in the way in which data have been collected, analysed, and interpreted, and a move towards more objective evaluation of study results.

Type
Comment
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 156 , Issue 4 , April 1990 , pp. 472 - 474
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altman, D. G., Gore, S. M., Gardner, M. J., et al (1983) Statistical guidelines for contributors to medical journals. British Medical Journal, 286, 1489–1493.Google Scholar
Berry, G. (1986) Statistical significance and confidence intervals. Medical Journal of Australia, 144, 618–619.Google Scholar
Braitman, L. E. (1988) Confidence intervals extract clinically useful information from data. Annals of Internal Medicine, 108, 296–298.Google Scholar
Crawford, J. R., Parker, D. M. & Besson, J. A. O. (1988) Estimation of premorbid intelligence in organic conditions. British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 178–181.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eans, S. J. W., Mills, P. & Dawson, J. (1988) The end of the P value? British Heart Journal, 60, 177–180.Google Scholar
Gardner, M. J. & Altman, D. G. (1986) Confidence intervals rather than P values: estimation rather than hypothesis testing. British Medical Journal, 292, 746–750.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eans, S. J. W., Mills, P., (eds) (1989) Statistics with Confidence. London: British Medical Journal.Google Scholar
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (1988) Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. British Medical Journal, 296, 401–405.Google Scholar
Lancet (1987) Report with confidence (editorial). Lancet, i, 488.Google Scholar
Rothman, K. (1978) A show of confidence. New England Journal of Medicine, 299, 1362–1363.Google Scholar
Ryan, M. M., Dennerstein, L. & Pepperell, R. (1989) Psychological aspects of hysterectomy: a prospective study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 516–522.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.