Re: errors in journal articles
jim clark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> in the journal's 1995 volume, was exactly the same sentence: >> "Every year since 1950, the number of American children >> gunned down has doubled." > >In the article he describes tracking down the original >basis for the statistic. At some point, doubling _since_ 1950 >got translated into doubling every year since 1950. This would appear to be an effect due to the fondness of Americans for the word "every", which seems to get itself inserted unnecessarily into "seven out of every ten statistical statements". = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
Warren Sarle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Telling the Truth About Damned Lies and Statistics > By JOEL BEST [snip] > So the prospectus began with this (carefully footnoted) quotation: "Every year > since 1950, the number of American children gunned down has doubled." I had > been invited to serve on the student's dissertation committee. When I read the > quotation, I assumed the student had made an error in copying it. I went to the > library and looked up the article the student had cited. There, in the > journal's 1995 volume, was exactly the same sentence: "Every year since 1950, > the number of American children gunned down has doubled." > This quotation is my nomination for a dubious distinction: I think it may be > the worst -- that is, the most inaccurate -- social statistic ever. I'm reminded of the bragging Scientologist who claimed that his particular "org" had at least quadrupled its membership every year since 1954. = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
Hi On 3 May 2001, Warren Sarle wrote: > Joel Best is a professor of sociology and criminal > justice at the University of Delaware. This essay is > excerpted from _Damned Lies and Statistics: > Untangling Numbers From the Media, Politicians, and > Activists_, just published by the University of > California Press > So the prospectus began with this (carefully footnoted) > quotation: "Every year since 1950, the number of American > children gunned down has doubled." I had been invited to > serve on the student's dissertation committee. When I read > the quotation, I assumed the student had made an error in > copying it. I went to the library and looked up the article > the student had cited. There, in the journal's 1995 volume, > was exactly the same sentence: "Every year since 1950, the > number of American children gunned down has doubled." > This quotation is my nomination for a dubious distinction: I think it may be > the worst -- that is, the most inaccurate -- social statistic ever. > Full text: > http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i34/34b00701.htm Here is the progression, culminating in 35 trillion children being gunned down in 1995, far beyond the population of the world since its inception, as Best points out in the original article. In the article he describes tracking down the original basis for the statistic. At some point, doubling _since_ 1950 got translated into doubling every year since 1950. Year# Children Gunned Down 1950 1 1951 2 1952 4 1953 8 1954 16 1955 32 1956 64 1957 128 1958 256 1959 512 1960 1,024 1961 2,048 1962 4,096 1963 8,192 1964 16,384 1965 32,768 1966 65,536 1967 131,072 1968 262,144 1969 524,288 1970 1,048,576 1971 2,097,152 1972 4,194,304 1973 8,388,608 1974 16,777,216 1975 33,554,432 1976 67,108,864 1977 134,217,728 1978 268,435,456 1979 536,870,912 1980 1,073,741,824 1981 2,147,483,648 1982 4,294,967,296 1983 8,589,934,592 1984 17,179,869,184 1985 34,359,738,368 1986 68,719,476,736 1987 137,438,953,472 1988 274,877,906,944 1989 549,755,813,888 1990 1,099,511,627,776 1991 2,199,023,255,552 1992 4,398,046,511,104 1993 8,796,093,022,208 1994 17,592,186,044,416 1995 35,184,372,088,832 Best wishes Jim James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
When I read the > quotation, I assumed the student had made an error in copying it. I went to the > library and looked up the article the student had cited. There, in the > journal's 1995 volume, was exactly the same sentence: "Every year since 1950, > the number of American children gunned down has doubled." Let's see now. 2^45 ~ 3x10^13 > pop(Earth). Given that even in 1950 it was impractical to gun down _part_ of a child, we are faced with two conclusions: either the Great Satan is importing children from all over the galaxy for their evil ends, or the number in 1950 was 0 (and this is still the case today; and any news stories to the contrary are propaganda designed to discredit gun owners.) The mind boggles. -Robert Dawson = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
Warren Sarle wrote: It reminds me of the recent headline in The Sunday Times (a leading UK newspaper) that taxes had tripled under the present UK government. As a bonus, the tax level when the government took power, and reported in the article as part of the argument, was something around 37% of GDP (the measure used throughout the article). Thom = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
Joel Best is a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware. This essay is excerpted from _Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers From the Media, Politicians, and Activists_, just published by the University of California Press Telling the Truth About Damned Lies and Statistics By JOEL BEST The dissertation prospectus began by quoting a statistic -- a "grabber" meant to capture the reader's attention. The graduate student who wrote this prospectus undoubtedly wanted to seem scholarly to the professors who would read it; they would be supervising the proposed research. And what could be more scholarly than a nice, authoritative statistic, quoted from a professional journal in the student's field? So the prospectus began with this (carefully footnoted) quotation: "Every year since 1950, the number of American children gunned down has doubled." I had been invited to serve on the student's dissertation committee. When I read the quotation, I assumed the student had made an error in copying it. I went to the library and looked up the article the student had cited. There, in the journal's 1995 volume, was exactly the same sentence: "Every year since 1950, the number of American children gunned down has doubled." This quotation is my nomination for a dubious distinction: I think it may be the worst -- that is, the most inaccurate -- social statistic ever. Full text: http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i34/34b00701.htm -- Warren S. Sarle SAS Institute Inc. The opinions expressed here [EMAIL PROTECTED]SAS Campus Drive are mine and not necessarily (919) 677-8000Cary, NC 27513, USA those of SAS Institute. = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
the notion of being able to fix errors in manuscripts that have NOT yet been published is one thing ... but, the ability to correct glaring errors in manuscripts PUBLISHED is quite a different story. i have a paper (that i can't find at the moment ... from either chemistry or physiology i think) of a rather famous case where a researcher desperately tried to get errors in a paper corrected ... but the amazing saga that he took to try do it (don't recall if he was ever successful, i don't think so) ... and the huge resistance put up by the journal ... could have been a quality publication like science ... sometimes, when something is cast in stone, like a published paper is (more or less) ... it can be nearly impossible to fix mistakes, even if they are of importance = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
Jerry Dallal wrote: A few years ago (many years ago?) someone wrote an article for the newsletter of the newsletter of the ASA Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences in which he described having each student select a published article "at random" and check for internal consistency. Round-off errors were NOT counted as violations. His students found errors in one quarter of all articles checked. My experience with journal clubs suggests nothing has changed in the intervening years. In a (probably unpublished) study a few years ago, a graduate student found that many or most of the articles which contained enough data to analyze in a language research archival journal drew conclusions with acceptable alpha levels, but with severely weak power - beta - levels. But hey, they presented data. Let's not knock their efforts too hard... Jay -- Jay Warner Principal Scientist Warner Consulting, Inc. North Green Bay Road Racine, WI 53404-1216 USA Ph: (262) 634-9100 FAX: (262) 681-1133 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://www.a2q.com The A2Q Method (tm) -- What do you want to improve today? = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
Herman Rubin wrote: > > In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > Jerry Dallal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > ... > > >> As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal > >> where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six > >> conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell > >> sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the > >> researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. > > >The imbalance could be due to dropouts or spoiled/invalid data. > >While the reported df shouldn't exceed the sample size, I don't see > >anything in what you've reported here that would preclude a two way > >fixed effects ANOVA. > > The ANOVA MODEL is not affected by this. The analysis is. Yes, but it could still be the analysis of an unbalanced, two-way, fixed-effects ANOVA. It would be nice to have the reference. = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
I concur. It doesn't make sense as it stands. Was one of the factors between subjects and one within subjects? If that is so, the df for the interaction effect would be more than for the between subjects factor. Assuming the the 2 level factor was a between subjects factor, subjects would be assigned to one of 2 treatments but measured under 3 conditions or times. Lise DeShea wrote: > List Members: > > I teach statistics and experimental design at the University of Kentucky, > and I give journal articles to my students occasionally with instructions > to identify what kind of research was conducted, what the independent and > dependent variables were, etc. For my advanced class, I ask them to > identify anything that the researcher did incorrectly. > > As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal > where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six > conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell > sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the > researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. > > One of my students wrote on her homework, "It is especially hard to know > when you are doing something wrong when journals allow bad examples of > research to be published on a regular basis." > > I'd like to hear what other list members think about this problem and > whether there are solutions that would not alienate journal editors. (As a > relative new assistant professor, I can't do that or I'll never get > published, I'll be denied tenure, and I'll have to go out on the street > corners with a sign that says, "Will Analyze Data For Food.") > > Cheers. > Lise > ~~~ > Lise DeShea, Ph.D. > Assistant Professor > Educational and Counseling Psychology Department > University of Kentucky > 245 Dickey Hall > Lexington KY 40506 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Phone: (859) 257-9884 > > = > Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about > the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at > http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ > = = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jerry Dallal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ... >> As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal >> where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six >> conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell >> sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the >> researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. >The imbalance could be due to dropouts or spoiled/invalid data. >While the reported df shouldn't exceed the sample size, I don't see >anything in what you've reported here that would preclude a two way >fixed effects ANOVA. The ANOVA MODEL is not affected by this. The analysis is. -- This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558 = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
A few years ago (many years ago?) someone wrote an article for the newsletter of the newsletter of the ASA Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences in which he described having each student select a published article "at random" and check for internal consistency. Round-off errors were NOT counted as violations. His students found errors in one quarter of all articles checked. My experience with journal clubs suggests nothing has changed in the intervening years. Take some comfort that most errors do not change the article's gross findings. > As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal > where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six > conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell > sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the > researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. The imbalance could be due to dropouts or spoiled/invalid data. While the reported df shouldn't exceed the sample size, I don't see anything in what you've reported here that would preclude a two way fixed effects ANOVA. > > One of my students wrote on her homework, "It is especially hard to know > when you are doing something wrong when journals allow bad examples of > research to be published on a regular basis." That's why you teach your class the way you do, ands that's why it's important they take it...seriously! > I'd like to hear what other list members think about this problem and > whether there are solutions that would not alienate journal editors. Standard collegial behavior is to contact the author directly and ask whether s/he feels a correction is appropriate. If the author feels a correction is in order, s/he will generally do so and publicly acknowledge you for pointing out the problem. "Dr. Lise SeShea has kindly pointed out that..." = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
In a message dated 4/28/01 2:59:29 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << The earlier responders make some good points but..I have seen plotted regression lines when the rsquare was 0.005, scatterplots where two "populations were separated by a line that makes a southern gerrrymander envious, where clusters had fewer than 3 members, etc. etc. The whole thing would be funny but these journal articles are used to make policy, affect legislation, etc. there is hell to pay if a chemist misreads a spectrum or a geologist confuses east from west. My feelingis that most egregious stuff should be recognized by a "comment" in the journal. Sending in a comment to a journal is also a good learning experience for the student in that she have to be really sure it is a blooper and that the blooper makes a difference in the conclusions. >> Excellent suggestion provided the journal is willing to print the comments and admit that the article may have errors. This also means the journal has to admit that they missed something when reviewing the article. Just a thought Dr. Robert C. Knodt 4949 Samish Way, #31 Bellingham, WA 98226 [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Law of Gravity says, "No fair jumping up without coming down." = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
The earlier responders make some good points but..I have seen plotted regression lines when the rsquare was 0.005, scatterplots where two "populations were separated by a line that makes a southern gerrrymander envious, where clusters had fewer than 3 members, etc. etc. The whole thing would be funny but these journal articles are used to make policy, affect legislation, etc. there is hell to pay if a chemist misreads a spectrum or a geologist confuses east from west. My feelingis that most egregious stuff should be recognized by a "comment" in the journal. Sending in a comment to a journal is also a good learning experience for the student in that she have to be really sure it is a blooper and that the blooper makes a difference in the conclusions. Lise DeShea wrote: > List Members: > > I teach statistics and experimental design at the University of Kentucky, > and I give journal articles to my students occasionally with instructions > to identify what kind of research was conducted, what the independent and > dependent variables were, etc. For my advanced class, I ask them to > identify anything that the researcher did incorrectly. > > As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal > where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six > conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell > sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the > researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. > > One of my students wrote on her homework, "It is especially hard to know > when you are doing something wrong when journals allow bad examples of > research to be published on a regular basis." > > I'd like to hear what other list members think about this problem and > whether there are solutions that would not alienate journal editors. (As a > relative new assistant professor, I can't do that or I'll never get > published, I'll be denied tenure, and I'll have to go out on the street > corners with a sign that says, "Will Analyze Data For Food.") > > Cheers. > Lise > ~~~ > Lise DeShea, Ph.D. > Assistant Professor > Educational and Counseling Psychology Department > University of Kentucky > 245 Dickey Hall > Lexington KY 40506 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Phone: (859) 257-9884 > > = > Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about > the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at > http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ > = = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
I think it's a normal situation. Journals have articles with errors. Textbooks have errors. There nothing that can be done, because it's only natural to make mistakes. You should feel good that you can see those things, but be ready that some day they will find an error in your paper. Vadim On 27 Apr 2001, Lise DeShea wrote: > List Members: > > I teach statistics and experimental design at the University of Kentucky, > and I give journal articles to my students occasionally with instructions > to identify what kind of research was conducted, what the independent and > dependent variables were, etc. For my advanced class, I ask them to > identify anything that the researcher did incorrectly. > > As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal > where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six > conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell > sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the > researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. > > One of my students wrote on her homework, "It is especially hard to know > when you are doing something wrong when journals allow bad examples of > research to be published on a regular basis." > > I'd like to hear what other list members think about this problem and > whether there are solutions that would not alienate journal editors. (As a > relative new assistant professor, I can't do that or I'll never get > published, I'll be denied tenure, and I'll have to go out on the street > corners with a sign that says, "Will Analyze Data For Food.") > > Cheers. > Lise > ~~~ > Lise DeShea, Ph.D. > Assistant Professor > Educational and Counseling Psychology Department > University of Kentucky > 245 Dickey Hall > Lexington KY 40506 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Phone: (859) 257-9884 > > > > = > Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about > the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at > http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ > = > = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
even in the best journals, you will find crap ... or, serious mistakes ... consider the following: 1. editors don't always have an easy time finding appropriate reviewers to review papers 2. reviewing papers (generally speaking) is a gratis activity ... 3. reviews are done usually in one's spare time (whatever "spare" time means) 4. different reviewers look for different things 5. reviews generally are done rather fast ... given #2 ... and things are missed 6. a reviewer might be good in the content of the paper but, still might not be a stat whiz 7. you can't expect a reviewer to recheck all calculations, and all the details ... usually, when found ... it is because they just happen to pop out to the reviewer 8. too many papers have too much data ... easy to miss something At 03:59 PM 4/27/01 -0400, Lise DeShea wrote: >List Members: > >I teach statistics and experimental design at the University of Kentucky, >and I give journal articles to my students occasionally with instructions >to identify what kind of research was conducted, what the independent and >dependent variables were, etc. For my advanced class, I ask them to >identify anything that the researcher did incorrectly. > >As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal >where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six >conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell >sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the >researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. > >One of my students wrote on her homework, "It is especially hard to know >when you are doing something wrong when journals allow bad examples of >research to be published on a regular basis." > >I'd like to hear what other list members think about this problem and >whether there are solutions that would not alienate journal editors. (As >a relative new assistant professor, I can't do that or I'll never get >published, I'll be denied tenure, and I'll have to go out on the street >corners with a sign that says, "Will Analyze Data For Food.") > >Cheers. >Lise >~~~ >Lise DeShea, Ph.D. >Assistant Professor >Educational and Counseling Psychology Department >University of Kentucky >245 Dickey Hall >Lexington KY 40506 >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Phone: (859) 257-9884 > > > >= >Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about >the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at > http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ >= > == dennis roberts, penn state university educational psychology, 8148632401 http://roberts.ed.psu.edu/users/droberts/drober~1.htm = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: errors in journal articles
On Fri, 27 Apr 2001, Lise DeShea wrote in part: > I teach statistics and experimental design at the University of > Kentucky, and I give journal articles to my students occasionally with > instructions to identify what kind of research was conducted, what the > independent and dependent variables were, etc. For my advanced class, > I ask them to identify anything that the researcher did incorrectly. > One of my students wrote on her homework, "It is especially hard to > know when you are doing something wrong when journals allow bad > examples of research to be published on a regular basis." Mmmm. It isn't really any harder to _know_ when you're doing something wrong; it may be somewhat more disheartening to realize that there may be no adequate check on one's own silly mistakes, later. I'd have pointed out to your student that one instance (possibly selected by her professor with malice aforethought? -- and even if not, the student wouldn't necessarily know that) hardly supports the phrase "published on a regular basis". Just emphasizes the need to maintain a healthy skepticism, and to be prepared to proofread with a critical eye. (Just 'cause it's printed doesn't mean it's true...) > I'd like to hear what other list members think about this problem and > whether there are solutions that would not alienate journal editors. Not to mention one's (you should pardon the expression) colleagues. Depends partly on sensitivity of editors and/or authors to criticism. Mainly, as TR once put it, speak softly (i.e., politely) and carry a big stick (i.e., evidence that, even if politely phrased, clearly illuminates the fact of an error). But it is worth remembering that journal editors (at least, the ones I've known) are editors only for limited terms: three years is not unusual, I think, and while an editor may be reappointed for a subsequent (second, third, ...) term, it seems to be more usual to serve for two terms and then let somebody else do it. So even if you get off on a wrong foot with one editor, that misfortune needn't carry over to the next editor. Some years back I encountered a systematic error in a journal article. The author had reported total scores from a series of Likert-like items, and showed a histogram. The histogram displayed decided "spikes", about twice as high as the surrounding landscape, at regular intervals: scores of 20, 25, 30, 35, apparently. (Maximum score was 40, minimum 10.) These were so interesting that the author spent a page or more intepreting them (as the results of "patterned responses" by the respondents, by which was meant responding with all 3's (e.g.) to all items). And indeed, if such patterning were present to any great degree, it would have showed up in just this way. Only thing was, the histogram program used had been allowed to set its own parameters, and in the range of, say, 20 to 30, where there should have been ten scores, there were only eight histogram bars. The "spikes" were of course the bars that contained two scores: 20 and 21, 25 and 26, 30 and 31, etc. First thing I did was write to the author. Wasn't polite enough, I guess (although I was trying to be), because he never acknowledged my letter. Then I e-mailed the editor, who wanted a response from the author before he took any action (which I thought reasonable enough), and suggested that I write a letter to the editor identifying the problem, which he'd then ask the author to reply to. Various things intervened about then, and I never got that letter written, I'm afraid. But I've frequently used that article as an example in class (usually presenting it as a puzzle, to see if anyone is sharp-eyed enough to see what's wrong, and usually presenting only the histogram and the relevant paragraph or two in the article). Helps to illustrate the points reported above: be skeptical, and sharp-eyed. And I take the opportunity to point out that this error, obvious as it is once one has seen it, eluded the author, the audience at the AERA session where the paper was presented, the audience at a European meeting where it was presented, at least two associate editors (that journal routinely farms papers out to at least two readers before publishing), and the journal editor himself. (And, presumably, most of the journal readership -- I never saw a critical letter from anyone else on this point.) (Of course, you could always suggest that your _student_ to write a naive little letter to the author, asking naive little questions...) -- DFB. Donald F. Burrill [EMAIL PROTECTED] 348 Hyde Hall, Plymouth State College, [EMAIL PROTECTED] MSC #29, Plymouth, NH 03264 603-535-2597 184 Nashua R
errors in journal articles
List Members: I teach statistics and experimental design at the University of Kentucky, and I give journal articles to my students occasionally with instructions to identify what kind of research was conducted, what the independent and dependent variables were, etc. For my advanced class, I ask them to identify anything that the researcher did incorrectly. As an example, there was an article in a recent issue of an APA journal where the researchers randomly assigned participants to one of six conditions in a 2x3 factorial design. The N wouldn't allow equal cell sizes, and the reported df exceeded N. Yet the article said the researchers ran a two-way fixed-effects ANOVA. One of my students wrote on her homework, "It is especially hard to know when you are doing something wrong when journals allow bad examples of research to be published on a regular basis." I'd like to hear what other list members think about this problem and whether there are solutions that would not alienate journal editors. (As a relative new assistant professor, I can't do that or I'll never get published, I'll be denied tenure, and I'll have to go out on the street corners with a sign that says, "Will Analyze Data For Food.") Cheers. Lise ~~~ Lise DeShea, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Educational and Counseling Psychology Department University of Kentucky 245 Dickey Hall Lexington KY 40506 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (859) 257-9884 = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
