The Cemaluk Relative Change Criterion For Statistical Significance in Small Sample Sizes

Abstract

bstract* In resource-limited settings, classical ANOVA and post-hoc tests are often inaccessible due to software, training, and time constraints. This paper formalizes the Cemaluk Relative Change Criterion (CRC), a field-ready method for judging statistical significance in small-sample experimental designs common in phytomedicine, toxicology, and metabolic research. CRC is defined as $\text{CRC} = \frac{K - V}{K} \times 100$, where $K$ is the control mean and $V$ is the test group mean. A change is considered statistically significant when $|\text{CRC}| \geq 10$ for studies with $n \leq 12$ per group. The 10% cut-off was empirically validated against ANOVA in studies on _Mangifera indica_ seed kernel, monosodium glutamate toxicity, and cadmium exposure. CRC provides rapid, calculator-free inference without sacrificing biological meaning, helping postgraduate students and researchers avoid the “statistical significance determination dead end when SPSS software highlights or flags only two out of many results as statistically significant at 95 percent confidence interval”. *Keywords:* Relative change, small sample size, statistical significance, phytomedicine, field method, Cemaluk