Statistics/Displaying Data
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A single statistic tells only part of a dataset’s story. The mean is one perspective; the median yet another. And when we explore relationships between multiple variables, even more statistics arise. The coefficient estimates in a regression model, the Cochran-Maentel-Haenszel test statistic in partial contingency tables; a multitude of statistics are available to summarize and test data.
But our ultimate goal in statistics is not to summarize the data, it is to fully understand their complex relationships. A well designed statistical graphic helps us explore, and perhaps understand, these relationships.
This section will help you let the data speak, so that the world may know its story.
[edit] External Links
- "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" is the seminal work on statistical graphics. It is a must read.
- [1] "Show me the Numbers" by Stephen Few has a less technical approach to creating graphics. You might want to scan through this book if you are building a library on making graphs.
