Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data
Alarming statistics bombard our daily lives, appearing in the news, on the Web, seemingly everywhere. But all too often, even the most respected publications present numbers that are miscalculated, misinterpreted, hyped, or simply misleading. Following on the heels of his highly acclaimed Damned Lies and Statistics and More Damned Lies and Statistics, Joel Best now offers this practical field guide to help everyone identify questionable statistics. Entertaining, informative, and concise,...
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"If you ever scan the newspaper, watch the TV news, or surf the blogs, you should read this charming book. If you're a journalist, read it twice."—James M. Jasper"As we now swim in information, much of it bogus or biased, spotting dubious data is super important. In Stat-Spotting, Joel Best plays off the format of field guides to give readers good, common sense ways not only to sense bad data but to understand what's wrong. Broken up into short independent sections much like field guides to various flora or fauna, the book is easy and enjoyable to read. Easy, enjoyable, and valuable. I will recommend it to my students, and to others, as a resource for critical consumers of numbers."—Bernard Madison, University of Arkansas"The purpose of Stat-Spotting is to help readers become more critical consumers of statistical claims. It is an important work addressing a significant problem in contemporary society: thoughtlessness about numerical claims. Best's work here provides a direct, accessible guide to critical readings of statistics."—Neil Lutsky, Carleton College
Pt. 1 Getting StartedA Spotting Questionable Numbers 3B Background 7Pt. 2 Varieties of Dubious DataC Blunders 17D Sources: Who Counted-And Why? 27E Definitions: What Did They Count? 41F Measurements: How Did They Count? 49G Packaging: What Are They Telling Us? 64H Debates: What If They Disagree? 86Pt. 3 Stat-Spotting on Your OwnI Summary: Common Signs of Dubious Data 103J Better Data: Some Characteristics 106K Afterword: If You Had No Idea Things Were That Bad, They Probably Aren't 111L Suggestions for Those Who Want to Continue Stat-Spotting 114Notes 119Index 131
\ From the Publisher"An ideal guide for anyone who reads a newspaper, watches television, or surfs the Web. In short, everyone."--Numeracy\ "Offers an eye-opening field guide to identifying problematic data and concludes by calling for better statistics."--Nacada Journal\ \ \
