Recording Scientific Data

Abstract

AbstractThe core of a scientific manuscript is the new data the authors are presenting. These core data should be presented with an appropriate degree of precision that does not go distractingly overboard. Readers are particularly interested in the numbers associated with each group and how these compare. A common error is to frame the study around p-values. A p-value is never the most interesting or most important result. Instead, communicate the magnitude of differences between groups, and use p-values as a secondary assessment of whether the results are likely to be due to sampling error. Well-constructed tables are a useful format for presenting detailed data that readers can carefully review. These tables should be accompanied by a concise narrative in the results section that summarizes the principal finding. Using tables that are clearly described, that are numbered sequentially in the order they are referred to in the text, that allow for clear comparisons, and that avoid common formatting errors improves the communication of your findings.