A p-value in a test statistic is the probability that the result of the test statistic could have been achieved through random data variations. A p-value is des

A p-value in a test statistic is the probability that the result of the test statistic could have been achieved through random data variations. A p-value is described in tandem with an alpha level, the minimum acceptable value to reject the null hypothesis in the test statistic. In short: typical alpha is 0.05, so a p-value < 0.05 is considered "statistically significant" and the results are not attributable to random chance in a t-test. An unpaired t-test compares two populations, and a p-value below the alpha level indicates that differences are not due to random chance. Take everything with a grain of salt, though. Low sample sizes dramatically change how test statistics produce results. P-value hacking is the practice of eliminating data from an experiment to produce statistically significant results or otherwise altering the data by adding buffers to ensure that a result confirms a belief a researcher has.