Significance

Significance denotes the quality of being worthy of attention or having an effect or consequence. In everyday use it refers to how important or relevant something is, such as the significance of a discovery or a decision. In academic contexts the term can have more specific meanings depending on the field.

In statistics, significance refers to the probability that observed data would occur under a null hypothesis. A result is said to be statistically significant when this probability, the p-value, falls below a predefined threshold (often 0.05). Significance testing helps distinguish genuine patterns from random variation, but it does not measure the size or practical importance of an effect.

Practical significance addresses whether an observed effect is large enough to matter in real-world terms. This consideration can diverge from statistical significance, especially with large samples that can detect very small effects. Researchers weighing practical significance also examine effect size and confidence intervals to gauge the precision and relevance of findings.

In philosophy, humanities, and everyday discourse, significance often relates to meaning, interpretation, or relevance. An event, text, or symbol may be considered significant for its historical impact, symbolic value, or contribution to a broader narrative, and assessments of significance can vary across communities and contexts.

Limitations include the potential for misinterpretation, issues with multiple testing, and the distinction between correlation and causation. Significance is a contextual and methodological concept that evolves with methods, aims, and the frameworks used to evaluate it.