Good quality data is paramount for applied economic research. If the data are distorted, corresponding conclusions may be incorrect. We demonstrate how Benford's law, the distribution that first digits of numbers in certain data sets should follow, can be used to test for data abnormalities. We conduct an analysis of nine commonly used data sets…

This report is a statistical study of juvenile court cases in 1972. The data demonstrates how the court is frequently utilized in dealing with juvenile delinquency by the police as well as by other community agencies and parents. Excluded from this report are the ordinary traffic cases handled by juvenile court. The data indicate that: (1) in…

The data presented in this report call attention to inappropriate use of the Eigenroot criterion in factor work, a practice which has probably grown out of a theoretical focus on determining basic laws of behavior, rather than a practical emphasis on providing information that will be useful to college instructors and administrators. When…

This document reviews "The Collected Works of George E. P. Box," edited by G. C. Tiao. The two-volume collection is divided into five parts. Each part is prefaced with an introduction by a statistical researcher giving his view of the motivation and highlights of the papers presented. The 16 papers in Part 1 on statistical inference,…

Further explores the difficulties pertaining to limitations in the use and interpretation of the Index of Dissimilarity demonstrates some of the systematic biases resulting from these inadequacies and provides a mathematical refinement which overcomes some of the major problems inherent in the use of this index. (Author/AM)

Approximations to the distribution of a common form of effect size are presented. Single sample tests, confidence interval formulation, tests of homogeneity, and pooling procedures are based on these approximations. Caveats are presented concerning statistical procedures as applied to sample effect sizes commonly used in meta-analysis. (Author)

This study examines and describes current statistical programs in the field of library and information science, identifies areas of the National Commission's program that are dependent on quantitative data, compares the current statistical programs with projected new needs, and specifies areas that must be developed in a future national…

Most measurements of racial and ethnic segregation, particularly comparative analyses across cities, have relied on the Index of Dissimilarity ("D"). Recently, however, it has been demonstrated that cities with different racial compositions also have different expected values of "D" under a random distribution of whites and…

Total circular triad scores (TCT) derived from the pair-comparison Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ) were used to study the relationship between inconsistency, and both internal consistency reliability and stability. Stability estimates (and Hoyt Coefficients) were computed for each of nine groups (retest internals from immediate retest to…

While current information on the dynamics of a library is essential, some concern has been expressed about the efficiency of the statistical collecting procedures as well as the usefulness of the statistical data collected at the Purdue University Libraries. Task priorities based on objectives and the significant cost factor of staff time, dictate…

THIS REPORT, WHICH CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF STATISTICAL TABLES, IS THE SEVENTH IN A SERIES THAT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED ANNUALLY BY THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION SINCE PASSAGE OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT OF 1958. TAKEN COLLECTIVELY, THE REPORTS CHART THE COURSE TAKEN BY FOREIGN-LANGUAGE STUDY IN THE NATION'S HIGH SCHOOLS FROM 1958 TO THE…

Education statistics are rarely neutral; those who collect and analyze them have different purposes. In this article, Bracey discusses several principles of data interpretation to help educators avoid falling into statistical traps. For example, because such reports as A Nation At Risk contain many "selected, spun, distorted, and even manufactured…

This chartbook is designed as a graphic reference on national statistical information about disabilities. Each page contains a content question, explanatory text, and an explanatory chart or table as well as information on sources used. Key terms are shown in boldface and defined in a glossary. Section 1 provides demographic data on Americans with…