Beyond terms like "met endpoint" or "statistically significant," understanding how to read clinical trial results and what ...

If you've ever tried to read a scientific paper, you've almost certainly run into a p-value. And if you found it confusing, you're in good company: Plenty of working scientists misunderstand it too.

Your editorial “The FDA Returns to Its Bad Habits” (Feb. 21) explains, “Reata’s p-value was 0.014, which means there was a 1.4% chance that its positive result was a fluke.” A related, true statement ...