Читать книгу Stat-Spotting - Joel Best - Страница 6

CONTENTS

PREFACE TO THE 2013 EDITION

PART 1GETTING STARTED

A.SPOTTING QUESTIONABLE NUMBERS

B.BACKGROUND

B.1Statistical Benchmarks

B.2Severity and Frequency

PART 2VARIETIES OF DUBIOUS DATA

C.BLUNDERS

C.1The Slippery Decimal Point

C.2Botched Translations

C.3Misleading Graphs

C.4Careless Calculations

D.SOURCES: WHO COUNTED–AND WHY?

D.1Big Round Numbers

D.2Hyperbole

D.3Shocking Claims

D.4Naming the Problem

E.DEFINITIONS: WHAT DID THEY COUNT?

E.1Broad Definitions

E.2Expanding Definitions

E.3Changing Definitions

E.4The Uncounted

F.MEASUREMENTS: HOW DID THEY COUNT?

F.1Creating Measures

F.2Odd Units of Analysis

F.3Loaded Questions

F.4Raising the Bar

F.5Technical Measures

G.PACKAGING: WHAT ARE THEY TELLING US?

G.1Impressive Formats

G.2Misleading Samples

G.3Convenient Time Frames

G.4Peculiar Percentages

G.5Selective Comparisons

G.6Statistical Milestones

G.7Averages

G.8Epidemics

G.9Correlations

G.10Discoveries

H.RHETORIC: WHAT DO THEY WANT US TO THINK?

H.1Using Short-Term Turnover to Measure Long-Term Problems

H.2Sudden Turns for the Worse

H.3Designating Myths

H.4Rhetorical Flourishes

I.DEBATES: WHAT IF THEY DISAGREE?

I.1Causality Debates

I.2Equality Debates

I.3Policy Debates

PART 3STAT-SPOTTING ON YOUR OWN

J.SUMMARY: COMMON SIGNS OF DUBIOUS DATA

K.BETTER DATA: SOME CHARACTERISTICS

L.AFTERWORD: IF YOU HAD NO IDEA THINGS WERE THAT BAD, THEY PROBABLY AREN’T

M.SUGGESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO CONTINUE STAT-SPOTTING

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

NOTES

INDEX