Common Errors in Statistics (and How to Avoid Them), 4th Edition

PUBLISHING STATISTICAL THEORY

If the purpose of your article is to propose a new statistical methodology, be sure to provide either

• Copies of the data to which your new method was applied along with a listing of the program(s) used to implement your new method
• Links to websites where the reader may download listings of the data to which the new method was applied and the program(s) used to implement the new method

REQUESTED MANUSCRIPT FORMATS

(For submission to Academic Emergency Medicine, as posted at http://www.aemj.org/misc/reqmanfor.shtml.)

Study Protocol. Describe the method of patient enrollment (i.e., consecutive, convenience, random, population sampling). Discuss any consent process. Note any interventions used. Describe any blinding or randomization regarding treatments, purpose of the study, or data collection. Discuss if and how standard treatment was administered (describe such standard treatment separate from interventions used specifically for study purposes), placebo specifics (how prepared, delivered), and the reasoning for such (especially if the study is an analgesia trial).

Measurements. Discuss the data collection. Clarify who collected the data. Describe any special data collection techniques or instruments. Provide manufacturer’s name and address along with brand name and model number for equipment used in the study. Denote what instructions or training the data collectors were given.

Data Analysis. Summarize how the major outcome variables were analyzed ...