1. So You’re Doing Some Statistics: Tips for Researchers
Dr Nandini Kannan
Department of Management Science and Statistics
Michael Anderson
UTSA Statistical Consulting Center

2. You’re beginning an adventure…
Adventure is just bad planning. --Roald Amundsen ( )
When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers. --Ralph Waldo Emerson ( )

3. So Prepare! It’s easy to get in tough spot—too tough to recover
You can avoid that by planning ahead

4. How to Prepare Literature search Statistical analysis plan
Data collection
Pilot study
Archive your materials
Data analysis
Report your results

5. Literature Search Models appropriate to your research
Measurement scales
Measurement instruments
Validity checks
Standard analysis techniques
Experimental protocols or sampling plans
Standards of evidence

6. Statistical Analysis Plan
Research hypothesis: testable?
Measurements and validity checks
Experiment or sampling design
Sample size calculation
Data collection procedures
Statistical procedures: use the stats you need, not just the ones you know (there’s more to life than just the t-test)

7. Data Collection Set measurement protocol
Estimate level of effort to collect data
Checksheets or questionnaires
Procedures for data collectors
Make data recording robust (avoid errors)

8. Pilot Study “Test drive” your Revise plan or procedures as necessary
Experiments or sampling plan
Measurements
Sample size calculations
Data collection
Data archiving
Data analysis
Revise plan or procedures as necessary

9. Archiving: don’t bet your dissertation on a single flash drive
Make copies of source documents (checksheets, surveys)
Make archival copies of computer datasets – multiple copies of each time-stamped version
Keep a BOUND notebook recording every step of your project
Save copies of all analysis steps (SAS code, SPSS scripts, etc.)
Exercise your stored analyses
Store copies in safe, physically separate locations

10. Analyze your data Follow the statistical analysis plan!
If things start going wrong, get help*
Missing data, minor variation can be fixed
Bad design can’t

11. Report Your Results Summarize your analysis plan
Use tabular displays of statistics
Illustrate key findings with statistical graphs
Report effect sizes along with p-values
Avoid techno-jargon

12. *If things start going wrong, get help
Your dissertation advisor
UTSA Statistical Consulting Center
website