Resource Library

A quote to aid in a discussion of drawing out the salient features of data in plots and statistics. The quote is by small business and organization expert Stephanie Winston from her book The Organized Executive: A Program for Productivity--New Ways to Manage Time, Paper, People, and the Digital Office (1994)

A quote to help in discussing over-interpretation of the results of an analysis (e.g. improper extrapolation, unwarranted conclusions that don't match the design of the study, neglecting the true variability in the data, etc.). The quote is by American nonfiction author and science reporter for the New York Times Natalie Angier (1958 - ). The quote is from her book: The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science (2007). The quote may also be found at www.quotationsbywomen.com. In context, the quote reads: "The power of science lies in its willingness to attack a big problem by dividing it into many small pieces, its embrace of the unfairly maligned practice known as reductionism. At the same time, the piecemeal approach demands that scientists be circumspect to an often tedious degree and that they resist – no matter how much they are pushed by their university’s public relations department or by desperate journalists – making more of the data than the data make of themselves."

A cartoon to be used in discussing the properties and caveats of ANOVA. The cartoon is #905 in the web comic Piled Higher and Deeper by Panamanian cartoonist Jorge Cham (1976- ): see www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=905. Free for use in classrooms and course websites with acknowledgement (i.e. "Piled Higher and Deeper" by Jorge Cham, www.phdcomics.com)

A quote that might be used in a discussion of why uncertainty is greatest when the probability of success is close to 50% (and also amenable to more study). The quote is by American author and Professor of Psychiatry Judith M Bardwick (1933 - ) from her book Danger in the Comfort Zone (1995). The quote may also be found at www.quotationsbywomen.com

The Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource is a collection of data sets. It includes definitions of each variable in the data set. It requires a login to retrieve the data sets. Registering involves giving your name and address and the name of the study and a detailed description of the intended use of the data.

A cartoon to illustrate the idea that the standard 5% significance level is an arbitrary cut-off. The cartoon was used in the February, 2017 CAUSE cartoon caption contest and the winning caption was submitted by Mickey Dunlap from University of Georgia. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea from Dennis Pearl from Penn State University.

A cartoon to help students learn not to "accept" the null hypothesis. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea in 2016 from Dennis Pearl from Penn State University.

A quote to use in discussions of the value of meta-analyses. The quote is by American Biostatistician Olive Dunn (1915-2008) from chapter 1 of her 1977 textbook Basic Statistics: A Primer for the Biomedical Sciences. Note that one aspect of meta-analysis is the selection and weighting of different studies to be included in the overall analysis. Thus, this quote might be most relevant to stimulate a discussion of that aspect.

A quote that can be used in discussing how data are more convincing to people if they align with current beliefs. The quote is by American mathematician Mary Gray (1938 - ) and comes from the title of her 1993 (v. 8, page 144) Statistical Science "Can Statistics Tell Us What We Do Not Want to Hear? The Case of Complex Salary Structures." The paper, the commentaries on the paper, and Dr. Gray’s rejoinder to the commentaries include discussions of many statistical issues and is very approachable for undergraduate students.

A quote to initiate discussions of model building By British Statistician and Epidemiologist Hilda Mary Woods (1892-1971). The quote is from her paper "The influence of external factors on the mortality from pneumonia in childhood and later adult life" in the Journal of Hygiene 1927 pages 36-43 (quote is on page 42).