Description
Book SynopsisNumbers and statistical claims dominate today''s news. Politics, budgets, crime analysis, medical issues, and sports reporting all demand numbers. Now in its third edition,
News & Numbers focuses on how to evaluate statistical claims in science, health, medicine, and politics. It does so by helping readers answer three key questions about all scientific studies, polls, and other statistical claims: What can I believe? What does it mean? and How can I explain it to others?
Updated throughout, this long overdue third edition brings this classic text up-to-date with the 21st century with a complete updating of examples, case studies, and stories. The text emphasises clear thinking and common sense approaches for understanding, analyzing and explaining statistics, and terms throughout the book are explained in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Much new material has been added to ensure the text maintains its pertinent approach to the subject, including:
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Table of Contents
A Note to Our Readers vii A Tribute to Victor Cohn, 1919–2000 ix
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Notes on Sources xv
Part I Learning the Basics 1
A Guide to Part I of News & Numbers 2
1 Where We Can Do Better 3
2 The Certainty of Uncertainty 8
3 Testing the Evidence 15
4 What Makes a Good Study? 37
5 Your Questions and Peer Review 54
Part II Now Down to Specifics 69
A Guide to Part II of News & Numbers 70
6 Tests and Drug Trials 71
7 Vital Statistics 83
8 Health Costs, Quality, and Insurance 97
9 Our Environment 108
10 Writing About Risks 124
11 Polls 133
12 Statistical Savvy for Many Types of News 145
Epilogue 161
Glossary 163
Bibliography 170
Index 173
