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Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157:321-324.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

STATISTICS IS not merely about distributions or probabilities, although these are part of the discipline. In the broadest sense, statistics is the use of numbers to quantify relationships in data and thereby answer questions. Statistical methods allow the researcher to reduce a spreadsheet of data to counts, means, proportions, rates, risk ratios, rate differences, and other quantities that convey information. We believe that the presentation of numerical information will be enhanced if authors keep in mind that their goal is to clarify and explain. We offer suggestions here for the presentation of statistical information to the readers of general medical journals.

NUMBERS THAT CAN BE OMITTED

Most statistical software packages offer a cornucopia of output. Authors need to be judicious in selecting what should be presented. A chi-square test will typically produce the chi-square statistic, the degrees of freedom in the data, and the P value for the test. In general, chi-square statistics, t statistics, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

NUMBERS THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED

DESCRIPTIVE TABLES

ODDS RATIOS VS RISK RATIOS

POWER CALCULATIONS AFTER THE RESULTS ARE KNOWN

CITATIONS FOR METHODS SECTIONS

CLARITY VS STATISTICAL TERMS

COMMON LANGUAGE PITFALLS

DOGMA VS FLEXIBILITY


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