NICHCY Connections...to Making Sense of Statistics in Research

When you read a research article, you're likely to run across descriptions of how the researchers analyzed the data they collected. There may be many terms about their statistical methods that leave you wondering, huh? In order to understand what the authors are trying to say, you need to understand their lingo. This page can help you do just that.

• Research 101
  (What makes for good research?)
• Research 102: Adding Up the Evidence
  (How do you combine the findings of multiple research studies?)
• Making Sense of Statistics in Research (you're here!)
  (Don't let stats throw you.)
• Weighing Info for Its Worth
  (Is this research well done?)
• Special Education Research: Where to Start?
  (How to begin finding and applying research.)
• What Works: Can We Say?
  (Where can I find information on evidence-based practices?)
• Research-Based Resources on Specific Disabilities
  (A starting place for research-based information on disabilities.)

Probability & Statistics for the Average Person

• What is "statistics" anyway?
  www.anu.edu.au/nceph/surfstat/surfstat-home/intro1.html
• What is "probability" anyway?
  www.anu.edu.au/nceph/surfstat/surfstat-home/3-1-1.html
• Why do you need to use statistics?
  www.graphpad.com/articles/interpret/principles/stat_principles.htm
• Want an in-depth intro to probability? Here's the full-text of the book Introduction to Probability.
  http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/amsbook.mac.pdf

Statistical Inference Defined

• From the Australian National University.
  www.anu.edu.au/nceph/surfstat/surfstat-home/4-1-1.html
• From the Research Knowledge Database, Cornell.
  www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/statinf.htm
• Overview of descriptive and inferential methods.
  From Arizona State University.
  http://glass.ed.asu.edu/stats/lesson0/
• So how come a survey of 1,600 people can tell me what 250 million are thinking?
  www.robertniles.com/stats/sample.shtml

Introduction to "Stats" in Plain Language

• Little Handbook of Statistical Practice.
  A step-by step tutorial from Tufts.
  www.tufts.edu/%7Egdallal/LHSP.HTM
• Those Scary Statistics.
  From Craig Hospital in Colorado.
  www.craighospital.org/SCI/METS/stats.asp
• Statistics Every Writer Should Know.
  From journalist Robert Niles.
  www.robertniles.com/stats/
• How to read a paper: Statistics for the non-statistician.
  I: Different types of data need different statistical tests.
  From the British Medical Journal.
  http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/315/7104/364
• How to read a paper: Statistics for the non-statistician.
  II: "Significant" relations and their pitfalls.
  From the British Medical Journal.
  http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/315/7105/422
• Pitfalls of Data Analysis (or How to Avoid Lies and Damned Lies).
  From material covered in a workshop at the Third International Applied Statistics in Industry Conference in Dallas, TX, June 5-7, 1995.
  http://my.execpc.com/~helberg/pitfalls/

Are You a Visual Learner?

• Against All Odds: Inside Statistics.
  www.learner.org/resources/series65.html?pop=yes&vodid=44107&pid=140#
  This links to a video series from the Annenberg/CPB projects consisting of 26 half-hour video programs, emphasizing how to "do" statistics.
• Lesson on the Introduction to Probability.
  From Math Goodies.
  www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol6/intro_probability.html
• Interactive statistics and probability learning tools.
  From Duke Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences.
  www.stat.duke.edu/sites/java.html
• Online math manipulatives for statistics and probabilities.
  From Utah State University.
  http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/topic_t_5.html
• BERRIES Statistics page.
  http://huizen.dds.nl/~berrie/
• Virtual Laboratories in Probability and Statistics.
  From University of Alabama, Huntsville.
  www.math.uah.edu/stat/
• Demonstration of group differences.
  From Rice University.
  www.ruf.rice.edu/~lane/stat_sim/gdexpl.html

Glossaries

Baffled by a word or a concept that seems like statistics or probability? Look in these glossaries. You are likely to find the definition inside one of 'em.