Statistics assignments focus on gathering data, processing it, and providing reports describing methodology, results, and discussions. The level of complexity varies by discipline, topics, and unique requirements. However, statistics tasks are often demanding and time-consuming, so it isn’t uncommon to see many posts and tweets from students, like “Who could help me do my statistics homework?”
Indeed, working on stats assignments isn’t easy. Not only does it require plenty of time, but you should also have good research and critical thinking skills.
With all that said, statistics homework is not as complicated as many portray it. Knowing the right approach can help you handle your home assignment quickly and score a high mark. Here are the top ten tips for dealing with your stats homework in one sitting.
Understanding the task
The primary purpose of statistics is to accumulate and analyze data and provide specific results. Yet, such tasks can require completing much more actions, especially when you are a student. That’s why it is imperative to pay close attention to the requirements, including the main question. The latter is essential, for it shows what the writer must do. For instance, your educator might ask you to argue the results, compare the data, or explain its significance.
Balancing quantity & quality
Statistics heavily rely on data, which can be qualitative and quantitative. The pros of qualitative data are that it allows the writer to provide attitudes and generate content. It also lets you employ your creative thinking and come up with exciting ideas. However, qualitative approaches are often inaccurate. They are not representative and overly subjective. Besides, they can be misleading and biased.
Conversely, quantitative data offers credible and repeatable information, enabling the researcher to test specific hypotheses. Importantly, quantitative data allows generalizing results. Overall, we recommend making at least a significant part of your study quantitative. Otherwise, the application of your statistics homework and its results may be dramatically limited.
Including a clear description of your project
Students often get mediocre marks for their projects because they fail to clearly describe the task’s aim and objective. Unlike many academic assignments that usually have a topic, statistics often provide students with freedom of choice. When you are free to write about anything your heart desires, make sure to analyze the primary aim of your task and the means to meet it. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What properties of the data do I want to explore?
- What are the variables I want to study?
- What type of variables are they?
Once you find an answer to those questions, compile them and describe your work. It will serve as an introduction to the project, letting the readers know what your project is about, what it strives to achieve, and what methods it uses to accomplish the primary goal.
Collecting proper data
Different stats tasks require analyzing diverse data sets. The data may come from various measurements, starting from experiments, studies, and corpora and ending with surveys and questionnaires. Upon locating data and retrieving it, ensure explaining where you got it from.
It would also be reasonable to explain if you managed to collect sample data, or you were lucky to get the data on all the existing objects (e.g., you study a minor language with twenty speakers, and you can meet up with them all, eliciting data from them using interviews).
Aside from that, keep in mind the general characteristics of the data. How many objects and how many measurements of their properties, and, crucially, which properties does your data contain? For example, suppose you study people and have a certain number of them, but you are interested in their selected parameters/properties. In that case, you should collect values for each of them, like weight, height, the language they speak, their quirky habits, and other peculiarities.
Describing data
The data we obtain may sometimes be tricky, comprise measurement errors, lack some numbers, consist of improbably high or low values, and many more imperfections. Even if you are positive that your data is crystal clear, prove it. Enumerate the steps you’ve taken to ensure your information is satisfactory. Sometimes you may need to normalize the values, select some subsets, etc.
Applying statistical tests and justifying them
Whenever you apply statistical tests, make sure to justify why you did that, why you could do it, and why you decided to use a particular test. Remember also that you should meet basic conditions to be able to use specific tests. For instance, your data must have the normal distribution of the variable.
Using figures
If only possible, use graphs, charts, and other figures, but remember that not all of them may be appropriate to represent your data. Besides, don’t forget that sometimes graphs can also be not helpful, like when depicting exact values of your variables.
Explaining the results
It is fundamental to make use of the numbers you obtained. You’ve calculated some statistics, and now you should explain their meaning. Even if it seems obvious, think about naïve readers of your report who may not be competent. Give an interpretation of the results. If they prove something, show a certain exciting tendency.
Using statistical software and tools
You may use different statistical software and tools depending on your subject. We suggest choosing one from the following list:
- SPSS
- R
- Python
- Stata
- SAS
- MATLAB
Reserving time for editing and proofreading
Like any document, statistics homework needs to be revised and edited. Even if it doesn’t sound like a pro tip, editing and proofreading are underlying elements toward scoring a high mark, so reserving time is pivotal. Approach your work and start checking it slowly. Focus on one thing at a time, and move to the next once it is polished to shine.