Re: Assignment #
PROJECT TITLE:
1.0 - PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Should be in paragraph from (not bullets). Written for a 3rd party such as your client’s boss, or an
external review board. As part of your description, consider the following:
Type of study [Designed experiment, Observational study, Sample survey] and brief
description of design
Stage of the experiment [Planning stage or Analysis stage]
Objective of study and role of this analysis
Scope of project
Intended use for results
1.1 - RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What are the overarching research questions that the client is targeting?
Question 1:
Question 2:
…
(order them by priority if relevant)
1.2 - STATISTICAL QUESTIONS (optional)
May address an of the following
What (if any) specific statistical questions did the client provide?
Re-phrasing the overall research question into testable hypotheses.
What statistical concerns will you be addressing to insure a comprehensive analysis?
Question 1:
Question 2:
…
1.3 - VARIABLES
What is (are) possible explanatory and response variables? Relevant notes about how each is
measured/recorded.
A table is often useful here.
Statistical Consulting Center
Department of Statistics
Eberly College of Science
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If design is complex, here is a good place to write a detailed description.
2.0 - EXPLORATORY DATA ANALYSIS (EDA)
Description of important variables.
Relevant summary figures.
What did your EDA tell you?
Missing Data
Unusual or concerning observations
3.0 –STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Describe statistical analysis in terms that your client will be able to understand and perhaps use in
presenting their own research. This section should summarize all relevant analyses that lead to
your final conclusions/decisions/recommendations.
Model Assumptions how checked/verified (details left to appendix)
Interpretation of estimates/statistics/p-values IN CONTEXT
Enough detail that the model/analysis could be reproduced
4.0 - RECOMMENDATIONS
Succinct response to each question laid out in 1.2. This a much shorter version of section 3, and
focuses on conclusions rather than the analyses.
Question 1:
Question 2:
…
(follow a parallel structure for order)
5.0 - RESOURCES
List resources that your client might find useful
6.0 - CONSIDERATIONS
(for example)
Limitations to the recommendations
Concerns you may have about the study
Technical comments
7.0 - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF WORK
(for example)
In publications and presentations, please include an acknowledgment to the Statistical Consulting
Center for statistical assistance. For example, we suggest wording such as “Statistical analysis of
data was conducted by [insert name of analyst] at the Penn State Statistical Consulting Center.”
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At the end of the report, you may want to thank your client for the opportunity to work on this project.
Detailed information and a copy of the program used should be referred to in an appendix.
Additional graphs and supporting figures may also be placed in the appendix.