A Compendium of Reproducible Research about Descriptive ...

A Compendium of Reproducible Research about
Descriptive Statistics and Linear Regression
Patrick Wessa
February 28, 2008
Abstract
This document can be used as an illustrated tutorial about Wessa.net
andFreeStatistics.org. ItillustrateshowReproducibleResearchcanbein-
tegrated in Statistics Education based on a Compendiumof Reproducible
1and Reusable Research.
1 Introduction
This case study illustrates how free online statistical software (R modules) can
be used in data analysis. This tutorial can be used at an undergraduate level -
the prerequisites are as follows:
• a basic understanding of Descriptive Statistics
• an interest in scientific data analysis
• basic ICT skills
All statistical techniques are based on the online “e-Handbook of Statistical
Methods” [16] that is available online as HTML and PDF documents. The
structure of the e-Handbook is like a cookbook: it contains a list of statistical
methods in alphabetical order. There is also an overview of all methods that
is ordered by type of analysis. In my experience with students it is best to use
the electronic PDF version of the e-Handbook because it can be easily browsed
and searched. Each method is explained in simple words and with a minimum
of mathematical background. In addition, the documents contains numerous
illustrations and examples which may also be beneficial.
The case-based approach of this tutorial and the technology that allows to
reproduce/reuse every aspect of the research, is consistent with the ...