Tag Archives: stats with cats

Looking for Insight through a Window

At a press briefing on February 12, 2002, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld addressed the absence of evidence linking the government of Iraq with weapons of mass destruction: There are known knowns. There are things we know that we … Continue reading

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It’s Hard to be a Data-Driven Organization

Why is it so Hard? Do you work for a data-driven organization, or one that claims to be a data-driven organization, or one that wants to be a data-driven organization? You probably do, whether you work for a big retailer … Continue reading

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How to Tell if Correlation Implies Causation

You’ve probably heard the admonition: Correlation Does Not Imply Causation. Everyone agrees that correlation is not the same as causation. However, those two words — correlation and causation — have generated quite a bit of discussion. Why Causality Matters No … Continue reading

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Reading Stats with Cats

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Why You Don’t Always Get the Correlation You Expect

If you’ve ever taken a statistics class on correlation, you’ve probably come to expect that a large value for a correlation coefficient, either positive or negative, means that there is a noteworthy relationship between two phenomena. This is not always … Continue reading

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How to Write Data Analysis Reports. Lesson 6—Get Acceptance.

Data analysis reports have to go through one more hurdle after they are completely written. They have to be approved for acceptance by a gatekeeper. The approval for acceptance may involve allowing report distribution, starting the publishing process, issuing payment … Continue reading

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How to Write Data Analysis Reports. Lesson 5—Get It Done.

Perhaps the hardest part of writing a data analysis report is just getting it completed. It takes discipline and persistence to stay on track. Even so, it’s easy to get distracted. Sometimes the problem is that the story of the … Continue reading

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How to Write Data Analysis Reports. Lesson 4—Get Their Attention.

If you’re writing a report about statistics, you have to expect that many readers will lose interest after a while, if they even had it to begin with. So, in writing the report, think about how you might engage your … Continue reading

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How to Write Data Analysis Reports. Lesson 3—Know Your Route.

You’ve been taught since high school to start with an outline. Nothing has  changed with that. However, there are many possible outlines you can follow depending on your audience and what they expect. The first thing you have to decide … Continue reading

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