For most of us, "painless" is not the word that comes to mind when we think of statistics, but author and educator Liwen Vaughan wants to change that. In this unique and useful book, Vaughan clearly explains the statistical methods used in information science research, focusing on basic logic rather than mathematical intricacies. Her emphasis is on the meaning of statistics, when and how to apply them, and how to interpret the results of statistical analysis. Through the use of real-world examples, she shows how statistics can be used to improve services, make better decisions, and conduct more effective research. Whether you are doing statistical analysis or simply need to better understand the statistics you encounter in professional literature and the media, this book will be a valuable addition to your personal toolkit. Includes more than 80 helpful figures and tables, 7 appendices, bibliography, index.

Understanding statistical methods provides us with an efficient way to explore, analyse and interpret data, as well as evaluate the strength of evidence presented in support of or opposition to claims. This book helps readers develop the statistical competency necessary to become good researchers and 'statistical citizens' in the information age.

Statistical Methods for Communication Science is the only statistical methods volume currently available that focuses exclusively on statistics in communication research. Writing in a straightforward, personal style, author Andrew F. Hayes offers this accessible and thorough introduction to statistical methods, starting with the fundamentals of measurement and moving on to discuss such key topics as sampling procedures, probability, reliability, hypothesis testing, simple correlation and regression, and analyses of variance and covariance. Hayes takes readers through each topic with clear explanations and illustrations. He provides a multitude of examples, all set in the context of communication research, thus engaging readers directly and helping them to see the relevance and importance of statistics to the field of communication. Highlights of this text include: *thorough and balanced coverage of topics; *integration of classical methods with modern "resampling" approaches to inference; *consideration of practical, "real world" issues; *numerous examples and applications, all drawn from communication research; *up-to-date information, with examples justifying use of various techniques; and *downloadable resources with macros, data sets, figures, and additional materials. This unique book can be used as a stand-alone classroom text, a supplement to traditional research methods texts, or a useful reference manual. It will be invaluable to students, faculty, researchers, and practitioners in communication, and it will serve to advance the understanding and use of statistical methods throughout the discipline.

Handbook of Statistical Analysis and Data Mining Applications, Second Edition, is a comprehensive professional reference book that guides business analysts, scientists, engineers and researchers, both academic and industrial, through all stages of data analysis, model building and implementation. The handbook helps users discern technical and business problems, understand the strengths and weaknesses of modern data mining algorithms and employ the right statistical methods for practical application. This book is an ideal reference for users who want to address massive and complex datasets with novel statistical approaches and be able to objectively evaluate analyses and solutions. It has clear, intuitive explanations of the principles and tools for solving problems using modern analytic techniques and discusses their application to real problems in ways accessible and beneficial to practitioners across several areas—from science and engineering, to medicine, academia and commerce. - Includes input by practitioners for practitioners - Includes tutorials in numerous fields of study that provide step-by-step instruction on how to use supplied tools to build models - Contains practical advice from successful real-world implementations - Brings together, in a single resource, all the information a beginner needs to understand the tools and issues in data mining to build successful data mining solutions - Features clear, intuitive explanations of novel analytical tools and techniques, and their practical applications

The book brings together experts working in public health and multi-disciplinary areas to present recent issues in statistical methodological development and their applications. This timely book will impact model development and data analyses of public health research across a wide spectrum of analysis. Data and software used in the studies are available for the reader to replicate the models and outcomes. The fifteen chapters range in focus from techniques for dealing with missing data with Bayesian estimation, health surveillance and population definition and implications in applied latent class analysis, to multiple comparison and meta-analysis in public health data. Researchers in biomedical and public health research will find this book to be a useful reference and it can be used in graduate level classes.

This groundbreaking book introduces the application of statistical methodologies to e-Commerce data With the expanding presence of technology in today's economic market, the use of the Internet for buying, selling, and investing is growing more popular and public in nature. Statistical Methods in e-Commerce Research is the first book of its kind to focus on the statistical models and methods that are essential in order to analyze information from electronic-commerce (e-Commerce) transactions, identify the challenges that arise with new e-Commerce data structures, and discover new knowledge about consumer activity. This collection gathers over thirty researchers and practitioners from the fields of statistics, computer science, information systems, and marketing to discuss the growing use of statistical methods in e-Commerce research. From privacy protection to economic impact, the book first identifies the many obstacles that are encountered while collecting, cleaning, exploring, and analyzing e-Commerce data. Solutions to these problems are then suggested using established and newly developed statistical and data mining methods. Finally, a look into the future of this evolving area of study is provided through an in-depth discussion of the emerging methods for conducting e-Commerce research. Statistical Methods in e-Commerce Research successfully bridges the gap between statistics and e-Commerce, introducing a statistical approach to solving challenges that arise in the context of online transactions, while also introducing a wide range of e-Commerce applications and problems where novel statistical methodology is warranted. It is an ideal text for courses on e-Commerce at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels and also serves as a valuable reference for researchers and analysts across a wide array of subject areas, including economics, marketing, and information systems who would like to gain a deeper understanding of the use of statistics in their work.

This is a practical book on how to apply statistical methods successfully. The Authors have deliberately kept formulae to a minimum to enable the reader to concentrate on how to use the methods and to understand what the methods are for. Each method is introduced and used in a real situation from industry or research. Each chapter features situations based on the authors’ experience and looks at statistical methods for analysing data and, where appropriate, discusses the assumptions of these methods. Key features: Provides a practical hands-on manual for workplace applications. Introduces a broad range of statistical methods from confidence intervals to trend analysis. Combines realistic case studies and examples with a practical approach to statistical analysis. Features examples drawn from a wide range of industries including chemicals, petrochemicals, nuclear power, food and pharmaceuticals. Includes a supporting website, providing software to aid tutorials. Scientists and technologists of all levels who are required to design, conduct and analyse experiments will find this book to be essential reading.