Statistical Tricks and Traps: An Illustrated Guide to the Misuses of Statistics

First Published in 2017. As an applied branch of mathematics, statistical analysis is straightforward and non- controversial. Yet, there are dangers in using statistics that derive from two sources: Statistical Tricks: These occur when researchers deliberately attempt to mislead their readers. Also Statistical Traps: A researcher falls into a statistical trap when he or she naively or carelessly misapplies statistical methods or employs unsound research methods to generate statistical data. While a trap is not intentional, it can produce highly misleading results. However, this book will teach you what types of important questions researchers should address in their reports, and you will learn to take their results with a large grain of salt if they are not addressed.