Finding Reliable Statistics
In many of the debate formats, coaches and judges frequently advise debaters to "quantify" their position. Statistics can be incredibly confusing. Even when statistical facts come from reputable sources, such as the one's you can find below, collection methods, sample size, base rate fallacy, pseudo replication, and dozens of other statistical and reasoning errors, can render seeming solid numbers vulnerable to attacks from your opponents. Many debaters don't feel confident enough to challenge the provenance and validity of the their opponents questionable statistics. To remedy this, debaters should read an engaging primer on the basic principles of statistics.
Books that Can Help You Interpret Statistics
Naked Statistics by Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called "sexy." From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you'll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in Naked Statistics, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more.
Standard Deviations by As Nobel Prize+"winning economist Ronald Coase once cynically observed, "If you torture data long enough, it will confess." Lying with statistics is a time-honored con. In Standard Deviations, economics professor Gary Smith walks us through the various tricks and traps that people use to back up their own crackpot theories. Sometimes, the unscrupulous deliberately try to mislead us. Other times, the well-intentioned are blissfully unaware of the mischief they are committing. Today, data is so plentiful that researchers spend precious little time distinguishing between good, meaningful indicators and total rubbish. Not only do others use data to fool us, we fool ourselves.
U Can: Statistics for Dummies by Make studying statistics simple with this easy-to-read resource Wouldn't it be wonderful if studying statistics were easier? With U Can: Statistics I For Dummies, it is! This one-stop resource combines lessons, practical examples, study questions, and online practice problems to provide you with the ultimate guide to help you score higher in your statistics course. Foundational statistics skills are a must for students of many disciplines, and leveraging study materials such as this one to supplement your statistics course can be a life-saver.
Statistics for Dummies by The fun and easy way to get down to business with statistics Stymied by statistics? No fear? this friendly guide offers clear, practical explanations of statistical ideas, techniques, formulas, and calculations, with lots of examples that show you how these concepts apply to your everyday life. Statistics For Dummies shows you how to interpret and critique graphs and charts, determine the odds with probability, guesstimate with confidence using confidence intervals, set up and carry out a hypothesis test, compute statistical formulas, and more.
Statistics by Modern statistics is very different from the dry and dusty discipline of the popular imagination. Author David J. Hand reveals it to be an exciting subject that uses deep theory and powerful software tools to shed light on all aspects of our lives--enabling astronomers to explore the origins of the universe, archaeologists to investigate ancient civilizations, governments to learn how to benefit society, and businesses to run efficiently. Hand clearly explains how statistics work, and how we can decipher them.
How to Lie with Statistics by Call Number: 311.2 HFrom distorted graphs and biased samples to misleading averages, there are countless statistical dodges that lend cover to anyone with an ax to grind or a product to sell. With abundant examples and illustrations, Darrell Huff's lively and engaging primer clarifies the basic principles of statistics and explains how they're used to present information in honest and not-so-honest ways.
Statistics 101 by A comprehensive guide to statistics--with information on collecting, measuring, analyzing, and presenting statistical data--continuing the popular 101 series. Data is everywhere. In the age of the internet and social media, we're responsible for consuming, evaluating, and analyzing data on a daily basis. From understanding the percentage probability that it will rain later today, to evaluating your risk of a health problem, or the fluctuations in the stock market, statistics impact our lives in a variety of ways, and are vital to a variety of careers and fields of practice. Unfortunately, most statistics text books just make us want to take a snooze, but with Statistics 101, you'll learn the basics of statistics in a way that is both easy-to-understand and apply. F
The Art of Statistics by ISBN: 9781541618510In The Art of Statistics, world-renowned statistician David Spiegelhalter shows readers how to derive knowledge from raw data by focusing on the concepts and connections behind the math. Drawing on real world examples to introduce complex issues, he shows us how statistics can help us determine the luckiest passenger on the Titanic, whether a notorious serial killer could have been caught earlier, and if screening for ovarian cancer is beneficial.
Popular Public Opinion Measuring Tools
- Rassmussen ReportElectronic media company, specializing in the collection,publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information
- GallupAmerican analytics and management consulting company, best know for conducting polls of public opinion
- Quinnipiac University PollFrequently cited by journalists, public officials and researchers, independent Quinnipiac University Poll regularly surveys residents nationwide and polls in more than a dozen states about political races, state and national elections, and issues of public concern, such as schools, taxes, transportation, municipal services and the environment.
Statistical Resources at NYPL
- US Census BureauData tools, maps, publications, and news relating to the United States Census. Topics include education, employment, health, housing, income and poverty, population statistics, and others. Provides access to American FactFinder, which allows for the customized organization of census data through tables and maps, from national to local levels.
- Europa World Plus
Online edition of the Europa World Year Book and Europa Regional Surveys of the World series. Covers political, economic, and historical information, including statistics, for over 250 countries and territories. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
- IMF eLibrary Data
IMF eLibrary Data offers a highly manipulable "data warehouse" approach to the huge variety of International Monetary Fund statistics over many years. Users can browse the data or create customized reports to export in familiar formats. The functionality for some of the older data may require the creation of a user profile.
**Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.** - Statistical Abstracts of the World
An aggregate of the statistical abstracts of nearly forty countries, generally issued by the national statistical offices of foreign governments. Also includes global and regional statistical compendia issued by international organizations and research firms. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
- Statistical Abstracts of the United States
Published annually by the federal government since 1878, the Statistical Abstract of the United States is the best known statistical reference publication in the country. It provides information to statistical questions and a guide to statistical sources. Beginning in 2012, ProQuest assumed responsibility for updating and maintaining the Statistical Abstracts. This database incorporates all editions from 1878 to the present. All tables are available as GIF images and Excel files. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
- United Nations iLibrary
The United Nations iLibrary presents a large and growing number of publications across a broad range of UN programs. It comprises not only core sales publications including dozens of statistical compilations, but also more thematic treatments of drug problems, terrorism, climate change, human rights and gender issues, formal reports from its programs and funds as well as a growing archive of Official Records. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
- Neighborhood Change Database (NCDB) This link opens in a new window
NCDB allows users to compile census tract data from the Long Form results of the US Censuses for 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010. That data includes population, household, and housing characteristics, income, poverty status, education level, employment, housing costs, immigration, and other variables. The database's distinctive feature is the normalization of data to the latest tract boundaries. Original boundaries can be accessed one census at a time. It is most useful if users already know their tract numbers.
Please note: you must speak with a staff member to access this database, as it requires a staff member to log in. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.** - Plunkett Research Online
Industry trends, market research. Attention NYPL cardholders accessing remotely: After connecting to the database next click on the tab "Subscriber Log in" on right of screen to get into the database. **Please remember to click to LOG OUT when done, don't just switch to another database. The library has a limited number of licenses for this database and if you do not log out other library users will not be able to access. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
Featured Database
- SimplyAnalytics
SimplyAnalytics includes thousands of demographic, business, and marketing data variables. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
Statistical Tool for a Visual Learner
- Data USAData USA project by the MIT Media Lab that uses U.S Public data to visualize information and trends in demographics, economics, education, labor, health and other areas
Criminal Justice Statistics
- New York State Criminal Justice Statistics InformationNew York State Criminal Justice Statistic Information Page. Browse through multiple reports in Crime and Victimization , Arrests, Depositions and Youth Justice Data
- CompStat2
NYPD recently released CompSat 2.0 , a tool that allows users to examine crime statistics up to the most recent week
- Source of Criminal Justice StatisticsUniversity of Albany compiled over a hundred published and unpublished state and federal sources of many aspects of criminal justice.
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program
The UCR Program consists of four data collections: The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the Summary Reporting System (SRS), the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, and the Hate Crime Statistics Program. The UCR Program publishes annual reports for each of these data collections and a preliminary semiannual report of summary data each winter, as well as special compilations on cargo theft, human trafficking, and NIBRS topical studies.
