The urge to right statistical wrongs seems to fuel many of the articles submitted to Significance. Take the August issue cover story, which tells the tale of how an annual Dutch culinary tradition came off the rails - it illustrates brilliantly the harm that can be caused when rigour is abandoned and the rush for “impact” too hasty. Reading too much into early results, say the authors, is “like trespassing in minefields. […] Even drawing sensible descriptive conclusions is not trivial.”
Of course, it’s not just
homo sapiens that can suffer when stats goes wrong. We also look at the poor methodological reputation of animal testing and consider how to banish this scientifically and ethically problematic practice for good.
On a lighter note, this issue also delves into the mischievous Spotify album charts, and how to win over the crowd at your next statistical presentation.
August issue highlights:
A very Dutch scandal
Why did a Dutch herring taste test end up mired in scandal?
Testing times: Let's leave the animals out of it
How the controversial and unreliable practice of animal testing could be consigned to history
Sweet little lies: Deceptive statistics in the album charts
Spotify’s ranking system isn’t a perfect reflection of our favourite music
World population projections: Just little bits of history repeating?
Official estimates do not sufficiently account for human behaviour
Can TV make you a better stats communicator?
Watch and learn from TV sitcoms like
The Big Bang Theory
Millicent Fawcett and Eleanor Rathbone: The Royal Statistical Society suffragists
The remarkable achievements of two statisticians
Stefano Franscini: The statistician who built a nation
Celebrating the farmer’s son who forged a national identity for Switzerland in the 19th century
Access the digital version of
Significance through
MyRSS. Print issues will be mailed to subscribers soon.
Significance is also online at
www.significancemagazine.com.