Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2022
Abstract
Expanding on the current debate on the issues of statistical and practical significance in information systems research, where the article by Sen, Smith, and Van Note is a recent contribution, this commentary cautions against conflating relevance with practical significance. We emphasize that relevance is 1) about the real-world usefulness of research findings rather than their impressiveness for the researcher audience, 2) an essential quality of research spanning beyond its findings and not merely limited to statistical studies, and 3) determined by nonacademics rather than academics. We also comment on other aspects of the article by Sen et al., such as the term “practical importance,” the treatment of effect size measures, and the presentation of “marginal effects.”
Publisher Statement
This file is the unedited version of a manuscript that has been accepted for publication in Journal of Information Technology. View the final published version of this manuscript at https://doi.org/10.1177/02683962221087449.
Repository Citation
Mohajeri, K., Mesgari, M., & Lee, A. S. (2022). Conflating relevance with practical significance and other issues: Commentary on Sen, Smith, and Van Note’s “statistical significance versus practical importance in information systems research.” Journal of Information Technology, 37(3), 305–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/02683962221087449
