Source: Twenty rules for good graphics
A set of rules, worth reading or re-reading at the start of the new academic year.
Category Archives: Data analysis
Why do we use t-test when one of its assumptions is violated? – ResearchGate
A crucial question, and as usual a spot-on answer by Jochen Wilhelm in ResearchGate’s questions and answers area.
Some additions from yesterday’s session
1) Microsoft is using R internally, and what is more, they are going all out for R: it has already announced that MS SQL database’s next version will have R built in. Test release is scheduled for September. It has acquired Revolution Analytics. Microsoft is also funding R development through the R Consortium announced 4 days ago, under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation.
2) There are rumors that some future version of Excel will have R built in!
3) R is being now accepted in the financial and commercial world and is quickly replacing SAS.
4) Just a single company called Teradata has more than 400 open vacancies for employees with R experience.
5) Hewllet Packard is releasing its own version of distributed R as open-source software.
6) Next UseR! meeting will be at Standford University and the organizing committee includes members both from Microsoft and Google.
I think it is time for our department and the whole university to stop teaching SPSS to our undergrads and switch to R as our main statistical software.
An interesting remark and an interesting news about R
I am attending the useR!2015 conference in Aalborg, where I gave a talk. The speaker who talked after me, works at Vesta, the Danish company which makes the wind turbines for electricity generation (they the leader of the market world-wide).
He told that they use only R. No other statistical software is allowed in the company, and what I found most interesting was his remark, which approximately went like this: “when we hire a data analysts we prefer a molecular biologist experienced in R than an engineer experienced in SPSS.” This is very significant as most of the data analysis they do has to do with prediction of mechanical and electrical failures to schedule maintenance and minimize downtime.
RevolutionAnalytics, a company developing and supporting R for commercial use has been acquired by Microsoft and Microsoft is one of funders of a new consortium formed to further the development of R.
Rigor and Reproducibility
The NIH (USA, National Institutes of Health) has opened a new web site on the subject, which although focused on Biomedical research, provides a good account of current trends and problems, how to overcome them and guidelines that could be easily adapted for the rest of the Biosciences including Plant Science.