Interpretation of the Correlation Coefficient: A Basic Review

A basic consideration in the evaluation of professional medical literature is being able to understand the statistical analysis presented. One of the more frequently reported statistical methods involves correlation analysis where a correlation coefficient is reported representing the degree of linear association between two variables. This article discusses the basic aspects of correlation analysis with examples given from professional journals and focuses on the interpretations and limitations of the correlation coefficient. No attention was given to the actual calculation of this statistical value.