Statistical science and quantitative understanding

Abstract

Authors of papers in biological journals need to make their uses of statistical methods and software explicit and maximally comprehensible. Editors and referees have important responsibilities for this. Inexact use of technical terminology causes confusion. Computer software is invaluable but not infallible. Graphical presentation should not conceal numerical results. Tests of statistical significance should be reserved for specific needs, which will rarely include multiple comparison procedures. Experiments that involve repeated measurements need special care in statistical analysis. Full attention should be given to principles of statistical estimation as well as to choice of appropriate statistical technique. At all times, ethical standards of scientific integrity must contribute to precision and clarity. Clinical research that neglects well-established statistical principles may be intrinsically unethical.