Center for Nursing Research
Statistical Consultation

Support for UT-SON Grant-Funded Faculty Researchers

• Statistical analysis of data generated from research studies
  • Biophysiological data, e.g. cortisol, melatonin
  • Survey data and tool development
  • Longitudinally measured variables, e.g. tumor size over time
  • Time series data, e.g. ECG, activity, temperature
• Interpretation of results of analysis
• Graphs and tables for data presentation
• Statistical methods and results sections for journal manuscripts and poster abstracts

Support for UT-SON Faculty Researchers Seeking Grant Funding

• Review of proposed research design
  • Calculation of sample size and power
  • Recommendation for sampling frequency in time series designs
• Plan for data management
• Plan for statistical analysis
• Statistical methods section for grant proposals.
• There is no charge for these services. It is expected that a proposal will include a percentage of the statistician's salary in the budget.
• Special Note: The statistician's percent effort on a grant should be sufficient to cover all of the analyses proposed in the Data Analysis Plan. Additional analyses later requested by the researcher that are not part of the grant’s Data Analysis Plan will be considered unfunded and can only be conducted if time is available. In addition, any requested analyses beyond those in the Data Analysis Plan will need to be reviewed by the statistician to ensure that good statistical practices are being followed. Statistical analyses that involve multiple analyses of the same variables solely in an effort to find significance (i.e., data-dredging, fishing expeditions, or p-hacking) will not be conducted as this represents unethical statistical and scientific practice. An example of the problems that can result from such analyses can be found on the web athttps://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/09/26/651849441/cornell-food-researchers-downfall-raises-larger-questions-for-science.

Support for UT-SON Faculty and Student Researchers

• Faculty: Consultation, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, and statistical methods sections for journal manuscripts and poster abstracts
• Students: Consultation with statistical analysis.
  • If ongoing support is required past the foundational meeting, the student will need to enroll in an Independent Study course
  • Guidelines for Statistical Consultation with Students(pdf)
  • Guidelines for Statistical Consultation with Faculty(pdf)
  • Guidelines for Teleform Services(pdf)

Other Services

• Randomization Spreadsheet (MS Excel)
  • Please cite the following article if you use the randomization spreadsheet: Padhye NS, Cron SG, Gusick GM, Hamlin SK, Hanneman SK. Randomization for clinical research: An easy-to-use spreadsheet method.Research in Nursing & Health. 2009 Oct;32(5):561-6.DOI: 10.1002/nur.20341

Please Note: All services provided by the CNR are customized to the individual needs of the Principal Investigators.