p-hacking
nounEtymology Blend of p-value + hacking, from "p" for probability. Coined by researchers Uri Simonsohn, Leif D. Nelson, and Joseph P. Simmons, in 2014.
1
Mathematics, Sciences, Statistics The practice of reanalysis of data until a desired result is obtained which is statistically significant.
- Cherry-picking promising findings, also known by such terms as data dredging, significance chasing, significance questing, selective inference, and “p-hacking,” leads to a spurious excess of statistically significant results in the published literature and should be vigorously avoided.[2016, Ronald L. Wasserstein, Nicole A. Lazar, “The ASA Statement on p-Values: Context, Process, and Purpose”, in The American Statistician, volume 70, number 2, →DOI:
- Related terms
- hacking, p, probability, p-value