Statistical significance, p-values and replicability

Statistical thinking for researchers

Still carrying on about p-values? Yes absolutely! It runs out that some have interpreted the American Statistical Association’s statement on p-values as official ASA policy, on the one hand; and on the other hand, as statisticians abandoning p-values entirely. That’s not what was intended, writes Karen Kafadar, President of the ASA and Editor-in-Chief of the […]

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Stat talk: What’s a standard error and when should I report it rather than the standard deviation of my data?

FAQs

Perhaps the most popular question SCU consultants get asked is whether it is better to report a standard deviation or a standard error. This question is always built upon a fundamental misunderstanding of these two very different concepts. I suspect that students have missed the point because their supervisors tell them, for example, to use […]

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What’s going on with p values?

FAQs

You could be forgiven for feeling a bit confused about the most appropriate way to summarise the statistical results of your research. Seems like in the past a p-value was all you needed. If p < 0.05, hooray! Significant result, paper published. If p > 0.05, misery! Non-significant result, paper pushed into bottom of filing […]

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Women in Mathematics Day 2021

Events

On May 12, it’ll be International Women in Maths Day. This is a joyful opportunity for the mathematical community to celebrate women in mathematics. The goal of the day is to inspire women everywhere to celebrate their achievements in mathematics, and to encourage an open, welcoming and inclusive work environment for everybody. The celebration takes […]

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The lady tasting tea

Book review

“It was a summer afternoon in Cambridge, England, in the late 1920s. A group of university dons, their wives, and some guests were sitting around an outdoor table for afternoon tea. One of the women was insisting that tea tasted different depending upon whether the tea was poured into the milk or whether the milk […]

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2020 in statistics

Events

2020 has been an extraordinary year in every sense of the word. Many of you got a tough lesson in resilience with your research plan being interrupted or even obliterated due to extreme weather or pandemic. Some may have taken the time to use this forced pause to upskill and we have certainly been encouraged […]

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Translating your data for understanding #AcWriMo

Events

November is Academic Writing Month at ANU. No better time thus to put the translation process of data to words in the spotlight. “The secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact minded culture, is employed to sensationalise, inflate, confuse, and oversimplify. Statistical methods and statistical terms are necessary in reporting the mass data […]

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Understanding interactions

Letters to SCU

During its history of almost 40 years, the SCU has collected a big archive and some of that material is still relevant today. The Letters of SCU series will bring out some of these masterpieces to bring age-old problems back in the limelight. Dear SCU, Please help me with this intransigent referee! I have two […]

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