Latest posts

Effect size, statistical significance and big data

Effect size, statistical significance and big data

Many, if not most statistical methods were developed for relatively small datasets. Big Data means we need to reevaluate how we interpret results. A good examples comes from “the Facebook experiment” Emotional contagion through social networks Adam D. I. Kramer, Jamie...

read more
A manifesto for reproducible science

A manifesto for reproducible science

There are ohh-so many ways to mess up when conducting research, leading either intentionally or unintentionally, to false results. Open science, where every effort is made to allow others to check your work (put very simply) is on the rise. Here is a great article on...

read more
Free access to research articles

Free access to research articles

Academic research is contingent on building on past findings, much published in academic journals. While researchers get nothing from the journals when they submit their work (indeed, some pay for the privilege to get published), it can cost a fortune to access the...

read more
Creating model diagrams

Creating model diagrams

While most make models in Word or Powerpoint, there are other alternatives, that can also be used with R. One such, is DAGitty, (and related packages). You can make the diagrams in a browser window, and export the R code. The diagrams can be exported in most high...

read more
Style guide for academic writing

Style guide for academic writing

There are many - very many - styles in academia. At times, it seems every journal has their own style, which differs just a little from others; seemingly with the intent to frustrate a submitting author (or to act as a last-ditch attempt to stop those who just submit...

read more

Are the metrics for academic success changing?

The term "Publish or perish" is well known, and in part comes from seeing that those who publish more, tend to receive more as well. Volume counts. This skews incentives, leading to shortcuts and outright fraud. Will this ever change? In a recent article on one such...

read more
Bibliometrix and biblioshiny – R packages

Bibliometrix and biblioshiny – R packages

Bibliometric analysis is taking off, fueled by increasingly easy to use software. While R can have a daunting learning curve, there are some great packages available for those interested. One is Bibliometrix. The command line side of it offers some great flexibility...

read more

What to do when, for a successful academic career

The requirements to get a job in academia, change depending on the stage of ones career. This article sums up what is commonly required at the different stages. I found it interesting that there is no mention of teaching, though this may be because in the USA, one is...

read more

Sharing data in repositories

An increasing number of journals encourage researchers to share their data, for a variety of reasons. In years past, it was common to have to write to the authors asking for access or supplementary statistics; making your data available, ensures more have access to...

read more

Using SVG files

Presenting research visually can greatly help people grasp complex ideas. Creating the visuals can take a lot of effort and creativity, it is a shame when the finished product is consequently compressed when published or shown; as is the case for most network maps....

read more

Visualisation of data

https://mattiheino.com/2019/07/28/shitty-tables/?fbclid=IwAR3n1z8VoNJ5pHPM-RDYFEp2v_TsWE1vB2enlu_uEFfPlje85zRWIAKNZeU More to follow https://serialmentor.com/dataviz/visualizing-uncertainty.html#frequency-framing https://www.data-to-viz.com/

read more
Visualizations in academic writing

Visualizations in academic writing

I love a good graphic, one that communicates a lot of information. They may not be quick to look at, but communicates a lot in an intuitive way. A recent editorial (2018) in AMJ indicates it is seen as a positive there. I recommend reading the editorial: FROM THE...

read more

Likert scale.. wording

While most instruments have a clear scale, some do not actually give the full range of wording. In cases when you want to modify a scale somewhat, it can be even more tricky. Rather than work out wordings, I found a useful PDF, written by Sorrel Brown at Iowa State...

read more