Understand whether or not the study found statistically significant relationships between the dependent and independent variables. If the relationship is statistically significant, it means that any difference observed between groups is unlikely to be due to random chance. P-values help researchers to decide whether observed differences are simply due to chance or represent a true difference between groups. include apa citations from The Journalist's Resource logo Search for: Search... Criminal Justice Economics Education Environment Health Media Politics & Government Race & Gender Eight questions to ask when interpreting academic studies: A primer for media Scholarly research is a great source for rigorous, unbiased information, but making judgments about its quality can be difficult. Here are some important questions to ask when reading studies. by Justin Feldman and John Wihbey | March 26, 2015 |