Purpose

Like the 1st and 2nd editions, the 3rd edition of READING STATISTICS AND RESEARCH has been written to help both "consumers" and "producers" of statistically-based research summaries. Readers learn how to (1) decipher the statistical terminology and notation used by authors of technical reports and (2) critically evaluate the way in which any study is executed--in terms how the data were collected, analyzed, and interpreted--so as to determine whether the researcher's conclusions and claims are justified.

To achieve the book's two-fold objective of helping readers become better able to decipher and critique research claims, 674 excerpts from recently published research articles are included and discussed. These excerpts take the form of tables, figures, and portions of textual material, with many excerpts illustrating conceptual or procedural mistakes. The vast majority of these excerpts are "new," with only 34 being carried forward from the 2nd edition.

Although this book was written primarily for consumers of the research literature, its material also helps those who conduct their own investigations. Much of the material in READING STATISTICS AND RESEARCH illustrates the proper (and improper) ways to generate hypotheses, to extract samples from populations, to assess the quality of measuring instruments, to test underlying assumptions, to summarize results in textual passages, to set up tables and figures, and to draw conclusions. Like the 1st and 2nd editions, the 3rd edition will function as a guide for many applied researchers.

Copyright © 2003 Schuyler W. Huck
All rights reserved.