Effect Sizes and Confidence Intervals

                   Last week, we reviewed correlation and regression. This week we dive headfirst into confidence intervals, effect size, and estimation.

This is the last week of our course together. Most of the week will be spent developing a final research paper, with a final analysis on three different research studies and the statistical techniques they use.

Final Paper

Begin by locating three research studies to analyze for your Final Paper, based on the three statistical techniques below:

· At least one study should display data through graphs, tables, and/or charts.

· At least one study should describe the hypothesis testing procedure that was used (either explicitly /specifically, or implicitly/generally).

· At least one study should use inferential statistical analysis tests or correlation/regression approaches.

Once you have selected your three research studies, develop a paper using the format below as a guide.

Final Paper Structure

· Opening: State which three specific statistical procedures you will be evaluating.

· Thesis: Describe how these statistical procedures been used to answer research questions.

· Literature Review: For each study presented, state the research question being asked. o Explain how the illustrated statistical procedure helped to answer each research question.

· Statistical Discussion: Analyze the value, strengths, and weaknesses of each statistical technique in answering formal and informal research questions.

· Conclusion: Summarize the general use of statistical tools in quantitative research studies.

Format and paper requirements

· Must be 8 to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style resource.

· Must include a separate title page with the following: o Title of paper o Student’s name o Course name and number o Instructor’s name o Date submitted For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013.

· Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice resource for additional guidance.

· Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper. o For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions as well as Writing a Thesis Statement, refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.

· Must use at least five sources in addition to the course text. (Note: You should use credible sources to explain the main concept/statistical technique and scholarly sources/peer-reviewed articles for examples of the concept/statistical technique.) o The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

· Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper guide.

· Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Looking Ahead

Congratulations on finishing MAT540!

1. Post in the Discussion Board 

              1st Post Due by Day 3. Effect Sizes and Confidence Intervals For this discussion, begin by reviewing the techniques of effect sizes and confidence intervals in your textbook. Based on the given quotes, along with this week’s assigned readings and Instructor Guidance, discuss the importance of effect sizes and confidence intervals in research.  Respond to at minimum two of your classmates’ posts, at least three for full points.

               1st Post Due by Day 3. Examples of Effect Sizes and Confidence Intervals in Research - Locate an example of a research study that uses effect sizes and confidence intervals in its analysis. Explain what these have allowed the researchers to accomplish and/or conclude in the study.

2. Final Paper In this six- to eight-page research paper, you will explore in detail one of the statistical approaches to research discussed in the course, applying it in the context of a specific application or methodological study. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of your chosen topic, as well as gain experience in translating these ideas into practice. Select a topic for your research paper using any of the statistical methods that we discussed in the course as it relates to your area of interest in either business, economics, finance, management, social science, health, psychology or education.

Find at least three (3) relevant research articles which: 

· support your chosen topic.

· discuss previous work on modeling/analysis in the area you’ve selected.

· have the statistical analysis and results from research conducted.

· cover technical aspects of the statistical methods discussed in class.

These can be found in the Ashford Online Library by going to a research database such as JSTOR or ProQuest and searching for your topic. If available, narrow your search category to scholarly journals, including peer-reviewed and full-text documents only. At least three of your sources must be from peer-reviewed scholarly journals. 

References: 

Lind, D. A., Marchal, W. G., & Wathen, S. A. (2017). Statistical techniques in business and economics. (17th ed.).