Stat-spotting
Subtitle: a field guide to identifying dubious data
By: Joel Best.
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Berkeley
Language: eng
Number of pages: 132
ISBN-13: 9780520257467
Subjects: Sociology -- Statistical methods; Social problems -- Statistical methods
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Getting started; title: Spotting questionable numbers; title: Background; title: Statistical benchmarks; title: Severity and frequency; title: Varieties of dubious data; title: Blunders; title: The slippery decimal point; title: Botched translations; title: Misleading graphs; title: Careless calculations; title: Sources: who counted/and why?; title: Big, round numbers; title: Hyperbole; title: Shocking claims; title: Naming the problem; title: Definitions: what did they count?; title: Broad definitions; title: Expanding definitions; title: Changing definitions; title: The uncounted measurements: how did they count?; title: Creating measures; title: Odd units of analysis; title: Loaded questions; title: Raising the bar; title: Technical measures; title: Packaging: what are they telling us?; title: Impressive formats; title: Misleading samples; title: Convenient time frames; title: Peculiar percentages; title: Selective comparisons; title: Statistical milestones; title: Averages; title: Epidemics; title: Correlations; title: Discoveries; title: Debates: what if they disagree?; title: Causality debates; title: Equality debates; title: Policy debates; title: Stat-spotting on your own; title: Summary: common signs of dubious data; title: Better data: some characteristics; title: Afterword: if you had no idea things were that bad, they probably aren't; title: Suggestions for those who want to continue stat-spotting; title: Acknowledgments; title: Notes.