small sample for an article proof, how to deal with it?
The proper way is to conduct a power analysis and present its results in the manuscript. Of course, such an analysis 


might show that your sample size is too small for conclusive results
should have been conducted prior to the study.


As a result the paper might be rejected during review, but one could argue that it should be rejected. If the power analysis shows that you need to increase sample size, you could repeat/extent the experiment until you achieve sufficient statistical power.