Schmuller - Statistical Analysis with R For Dummies

Statistical Analysis with R For Dummies

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Copyright 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932881

ISBN: 978-1-119-33706-5; 978-1-119-33726-3 (ebk); 978-1-119-33709-6 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

So youre holding a statistics book. In my humble (and absolutely biased) opinion, it's not just another statistics book. Its also not just another R book. I say this for two reasons.

First, many statistics books teach you the concepts but don't give you an easy way to apply them. That often leads to a lack of understanding. Because R is ready-made for statistics, its a tool for applying (and learning) statistics concepts.

Second, lets look at it from the opposite direction: Before I tell you about one of Rs features, I give you the statistical foundation it's based on. That way, you understand that feature when you use it and you use it more effectively.

I didnt want to write a book that only covers the details of R and introduces some clever coding techniques. Some of that is necessary, of course, in any book that shows you how to use a software tool like R. My goal was to go way beyond that.

Neither did I want to write a statistics cookbook: when-faced-with-problem-category-#152-use-statistical-procedure-#346. My goal was to go way beyond that, too.

Bottom line: This book isn't just about statistics or just about R its firmly at the intersection of the two. In the proper context, R can be a great tool for teaching and learning statistics, and Ive tried to supply the proper context.

Although the field of statistics proceeds in a logical way, Ive organized this book so that you can open it up in any chapter and start reading. The idea is for you to find the information you're looking for in a hurry and use it immediately whether it's a statistical concept or an R-related one.

On the other hand, reading from cover to cover is okay if you're so inclined. If you're a statistics newbie and you have to use R to analyze data, I recommend that you begin at the beginning.

You might be aware that Ive written another book: Statistical Analysis with Excel For Dummies (Wiley). This is not a shameless plug for that book. (I do that elsewhere.)

Im just letting you know that the sections in this book that explain statistical concepts are much like the corresponding sections in that one. I use (mostly) the same examples and, in many cases, the same words. Ive developed that material during decades of teaching statistics and found it to be very effective. (Reviewers seem to like it, too.) Also, if you happen to have read the other book and youre transitioning to R, the common material might just help you make the switch.

And, you know: If it aint broke .

Any reference book throws a lot of information at you, and this one is no exception. I intended for it all to be useful, but I didn't aim it all at the same level. So if you're not deeply into the subject matter, you can avoid paragraphs marked with the Technical Stuff icon.

As you read, you'll run into sidebars. They provide information that elaborates on a topic, but they're not part of the main path. If you're in a hurry, you can breeze past them.

I'm assuming this much about you:

• You know how to work with Windows or the Mac. I dont describe the details of pointing, clicking, selecting, and other actions.
• Youre able to install R and RStudio (I show you how in ) and follow along with the examples. I use the Windows version of RStudio, but you should have no problem if youre working on a Mac.

Ive organized this book into five parts and three appendixes (which you can find on this books companion website at www.dummies.com/go/statisticalanalysiswithr ).