🚀 go-pugleaf

I would like to know how people feel about using such words as "trend".


For example:

When I see the statement:

   The data demonstrates a trend towards [fill in the blank], but this
   relationship was not significant.

Technically this is correct.   In other words I have been told by someone
that you can state a direction (i.e. less, more, greater whatever) as a trend
as long as you state if it is significant or not.  Yet at times I read this
as being "hopeful".  I have seen this type of statement used when  the person
writing the article wants to have the trend in that direction, but they did
not achive statistical significance.  

I have also seen statements such as:  There was a greater response to
[again fill in the blank] but this was not significant.

I am more comfortable with the former rather than the latter.


So what are the rules of thumb in cases such as these?