Category: Uncategorized

Many medical publications present the results of more or less random statistical tests of data available in datasets collected for other reasons. The statistical test results are then interpreted according to the investigators’ prejudices, suitable hypotheses are formulated, and reports are written pretending that the studies from beginning to end were performed to test the…

A special form of statistical inference is known as predictive inference. Instead of learning about unknown parameters, sampled data are used to predict new observations. For example, data on the treatment outcomes of existing patients can be used to develop a statistical model that facilitates clinical decision-making for new patients. Predictive inference, often discussed with…

The uncertainty described by a confidence interval is related to sampling. The sampling uncertainty of a study is known as the study’s statistical precision. The magnitude of the uncertainty depends partly on the sample size. Other forms of uncertainty (non-sampling uncertainty) are related to validity rather than precision, and these also need to be considered…

Unlike art, which focuses on conveying beauty or evoking emotion and is judged by subjective criteria, science is based on striving for truth and requires precise and reproducible results. Empirical sciences rely on observation and experimentation to formulate, test and confirm hypotheses using objective evidence. Precise language, often including descriptive statistics, statistical methodology and statistical…

This website section includes suggestions, explanations, and motivations that may be useful when writing or reviewing research reports for scientific journals. Unless otherwise stated, all comments represent my personal opinions, which I have developed during my work as a statistical consultant and editor. The comments assume that the reader has at least some experience with…