生物医学期刊中常见的P值使用错误

Common misuses of the P value in the editing work of biomedical journals

在生物医学期刊的编辑工作中,时常可以发现稿件中P值的误用。文章分析稿件中P值的意义、报告、描述和解释的误用情况及其对文章科学性的影响,提出相应的解决方法,并指出置信区间对P值局限性的补充作用。认为生物医学期刊编辑应当增强统计学观念,在处理稿件时严把统计学质量关,以达到提高期刊学术质量的目的。

In the editing work of biomedical journals, statistical errors can be found frequently, of which the most common is the misuse of the P value. This paper analyzes the misuse of the P value from its significance, report, description and explanation as well as its effect on science of the papers. We also propose the appropriate solutions, and point out that the confidence interval can play a complementary role to the limitations of P value. Editors of biomedical journals should develop a vigilant mind on statistics, guarantee the quality of statistics while dealing with the manuscripts, which could increase the submission of high quality papers and improve the academic quality of the journal.