If your doctoral work involves a quantitative project, you will likely need dissertation statistics help. Writing your methods and results sections might prove to be arduous task otherwise. Many graduate students feel that their knowledge of statistics does not meet the needs of their research project. Also, it is not uncommon for your paper to get rejected when reviewers realize that the wrong type of statistical analysis was used. Sometimes, however, articles that use flawed statistics can slip through and get published, which can have some serious consequences as shown by the Duke University scandal.
As such, getting statistical help with your research process can be a great idea. This is not unethical, and often even advised as statistics continues to become more complex. Many researchers these days are dealing with large amounts of data that are managed using computer programs and computer-controlled equipment. These types of analyses require deep statistical expertise. Students that have focused their time on learning their specific disincline can rightfully feel overwhelmed. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help with their statistical analysis. There are many ways to dissertation statistics help. In this article you can read about some good quality options likely available to you.
Learn it Yourself
One way is to try to improve your knowledge of statistics. This can be a very good long-term investment (if you have the time), especially if you are planning to stay in the academia. You will need to understand different statistical methods and the rationale behind choosing them — not only when you do your research, but also whenever you read other people’s work.
There are numerous resources that can help you learn more about statistics, many available for free. Some universities offer training sessions, seminars and workshops that can help you improve your stats and math skills. Try to tap into what is already available and connect with your academic community. You might be surprised who is willing to help you with your statistical problems.
The other option is to look for online sources, which include online tutorial videos, informational sites as well as question and answer sites. It is important to check the credibility of these sites to make sure you are getting the right information. Jeff Leek, Ph.D., an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, suggests using Cross Validated. It is a Q and A site where anybody can ask a question about statistics, data analysis, machine learning, data mining and data visualization.
You may also consider taking an online course in statistics. For instance, Coursera offers a number of different courses and specializations, ranging from basic statistics to more advanced sessions (e.g. inferential statistics). If you are a beginner, Udacity has a free introduction to statistics — Udacity is an online course that takes about two months to complete and is given by Professor Sebastian Thrun. Other online course providers you might want to consider include edX, DataCamp, Stanford Online and Big Data University.
Find Somebody to Help You Out
If you do have the time to acquire deep knowledge in statistic and/or you are running out of time, you might elect to look for someone who can assist you. This should be a person who can provide you with deep statistical or computational expertise. If there is no support available through your department or university, you can search online for freelancers with the skills you need. Many of these sites offer reviews of previous work, which can help you make your selection. Upwork is one such platform where you can search for a statistics consultant. However, make sure that your conduct is not considered unethical by your department. It is probably acceptable to have somebody else check your work and help you with your questions and statistical dilemmas. But, it would most likely be considered unethical if somebody else ran your entire analysis and did the interpretation for you. You need to understand your methods and results and be able to answer your committee’s questions, as well as show competency. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to allow enough time to at least get some basic training in statistics before you commence with your research project. Knowledge of statistics is something that almost always come in handy, so you consider it a worthy challenge.