Step 5: Formulate conclusions
(i) Summarize your conclusions as if to the readers of a "popular science" journal, including:
- whether the observed difference is considered statistically significant (with justification),
- your estimate (and confidence level) for the size of the difference in the population means,
- whether you are drawing a cause and effect conclusion (with justification),
- and to what population (with justification).
Be sure to justify these last two components of the conclusion based on how the data were collected and the significance of the results.
Step 6: Look back and ahead
(j) Also discuss any potential problems with the study and how it could be improved if you were to conduct a follow-up study in the future.
