Announcing a New Series on Deeply Trivial!

Hopefully you've been enjoying Statistics Sunday with Sara! I've had a lot of fun writing them and will be using the material written thus far in my July writing project.

As I continue writing (and thinking) about statistics, I've been picking up lots of statistics-related books. I'm working on beefing up my understand of probability theory through a couple of books, recently read How to Lie with Statistics, and also added Statistics Done Wrong to my reading list:

In fact, I've tucked the book into my purse to read in the car on a road trip this afternoon. But thinking about this book, which covers some of the statistical errors and omissions that can derail your research, I started considering some of the really poor science reporting I've seen in magazines and newspapers, as well as on websites. And I thought of a great term to describe some of the abuses of statistics - either willful or accidental: statistical sins.

So, introducing a new series I'll be unveiling this week (probably to be posted each Wednesday): Statistical Sins! This series won't just be about shaming people for bad statistics reporting (though that's part of the fun); it will be about teachable moments: I'll tell you (and where possible, show you) a better way. The examples will be timely - hopefully something I've encountered during the week. If you see anything you think might be a statistical sin, be sure to send it my way!