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Statistical Editor’s Practical Advice for Data Analysis

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Statistics and Research Methods for Acute Care and General Surgeons

Part of the book series: Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma ((HTACST))

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Abstract

This chapter draws upon 20 years of practical and educational experience of a Statistical Editor. It provides detailed guidance for young researchers on the proper approach for defining univariate statistical methods for use in medical research. Six questions must be answered in sequence before starting a statistical analysis. These are: (1) What is the objective of the analysis? (2) What is the type of the data? (3) Are the data normally distributed? (4) How many groups are being compared? (5) What is the number of subjects in each group? (6) Are the compared data related or unrelated? The answer to each of these questions is presented in this chapter with applied practical examples that are easy to understand and follow. If these questions are answered properly, and if recommended advice is followed, it is anticipated that the correct statistical methods will be selected.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Research Office, College of Medicine and Health, Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates

    Fikri M. Abu-Zidan

Authors
  1. Fikri M. Abu-Zidan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. General and Emergency Surgery Department, School of Medicine and Surgery, Milano-Bicocca University, Monza, Italy

    Marco Ceresoli

  2. Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Health Science, United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Fikri M. Abu-Zidan

  3. Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Kristan L. Staudenmayer

  4. General and Emergency Surgery Department, Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy

    Fausto Catena

  5. Department of General, Emergency and Trauma Surgery, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Federico Coccolini

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© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Abu-Zidan, F.M. (2022). Statistical Editor’s Practical Advice for Data Analysis. In: Ceresoli, M., Abu-Zidan, F.M., Staudenmayer, K.L., Catena, F., Coccolini, F. (eds) Statistics and Research Methods for Acute Care and General Surgeons. Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13818-8_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13818-8_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-13817-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-13818-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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