PRESCRIPTION
Statistical methods used for experimental design and analysis should be viewed in their rightful role as merely a part, albeit an essential part, of the decision-making procedure:
1. Set forth your objectives and the use you plan to make of your research before you conduct a laboratory experiment, a clinical trial, a survey, or analyze an existing set of data.
2. Formulate your hypothesis and all of the associated alternatives. List possible experimental findings along with the conclusions you would draw and the actions you would take if this or another result should prove to be the case. Do all of these things before you complete a single data collection form, and before you turn on your computer.