Transcript Statistics and reports - Aberystwyth University

Dr Nicky Cashman, Aberystwyth University [email protected]
Gregynog, 2010
 Use of data
 Formatting
 Ethical issues
 Where to start
 Gathering information
 Creating the document
 Surveys and other forms of reporting
 Conclusion
 Descriptive: Statistics that merely
describe the group they belong to, e.g.
the class did well on its first exam, with
a mean (average) score of 89.5%
 …and inferential. These are statistics
used to draw conclusions about a larger
group of people, e.g. our research
indicates that only 33% of people like
purple cars
 Any statistical investigation
produces an output data that
needs to be analysed. So, organise
it, study it under different
circumstances and control the data
as required
 This data needs to be modified in a
presentable form so that further
conclusions and inferences can be
drawn
 Tables – much easier to read than a
block of text. It can help to sort the
information/group comparisons etc for
both you and your audience
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Mean
10.5
12.3
15.9
21.3
S.D.
2.1
1.2
1.8
2.5
(standard
deviation)
 Pie chart – to give a general indication of
percentages/groups etc via each ‘slice’
Sales
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
9%
10%
23%
58%
4th Qtr
 Bar chart – a way of representing
absolute numbers
Series 1
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Category 1
Category 2
Category 3
Category 4
Category 5
Category 6
 Histogram – a way of encapsulating
data that can be summarised on an
interval scale
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Page Views
Visits
Items archived
January February March
April
 Scatter Plot – to illustrate the degree of
correlation (not causation) between two
variables
10
9
8
7
Age of Child
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
1
2
3
4
Time watching Tv
5
6
7
 Line graph – to demonstrate a continual
stream of data which could indicate
growth, decline, peaks and troughs
Early years education
Number of three and four-year-olds at school triples
 Failure to deal honestly with readers
www.flickr.com
about non-random error (bias)
 Inappropriate statistical tests and
other statistical procedures
 Fragmentation of reports
 Low statistical power
 Suppressing, trimming, or “adjusting”
data
 Selective reporting of findings
 The task in all of this is to do the best job
possible to assure that the numbers represent
the actual population or process. Anything
which distorts the true depiction of the original
population or process might lead to false
conclusions, which is an ethical problem
 Costly waste of resources
 Difficult statistical analysis
 Data for which interpretation is
controversial
 Research which is precise but which
answers the wrong questions
 Determine beforehand what sort of
www.flickr.com
information is required
 Remember that the order or
arrangement of the data does not
matter
 You have the freedom to organise
the subject under study – consider
keeping subjective material
 Creating a statistical data set is only
the first step in research. The
interpretation and validity of the
inferences drawn from the data is
what is most important
http://www.mindwaveglobal.com/Profile.
html
 Who has asked for this report?
 Who is likely to read this report?
 What do you think they want to know about?
 What do you want to highlight?
 Do you need to collaborate with colleagues?
 What is the eventual purpose of the report?
 Should it be monthly, bi-annual and/or
annual?
 http://www.google.com/analytics/
with repository statistics [IR Stats
with E-Prints]
•
•
•
•
Top articles
Top theses
Most searched departments
Number of visits/hits & from where in the world
 Asking individual academics for
comments
 Listing past, present & future
repository projects &
collaborations
Illness and elevated Human Mortality in Europe Coincident with the Laki Fissure…
The Epistemological Foundations of Artificial Agents (Lacey, Nick et al) (2160/109)
Applications of outsourcing theory to collaborative purchasing and licensing…
An ontology for a Robot Scientist (Soldatova, Larisa et al) (2160/268)
Aspects of Armageddon: An exploration of the role of volcanic eruptions in human…
Adaptable Modelling of Electrical Systems (Price, Chris et al) (2160/40)
Analyses of patterns of copper and lead mineralisation in human skeletons…
Critical incident technique and explicitation interviewing in studies of information…
Acid damage to vegetation following the Laki Fissure eruption in 1783 - an…
Training needs analysis of healthcare library staff, undertaken for South Yorkshire…
Poetics of the Past, Politics of the Present: Chaucer, Gower, and Old Books (Urban,…
ViSIAr - A Virtual Sensor Integration Architecture (Hardy, Nigel et al) (2160/37)
Using participant or non-participant observation to explain information behaviour…
A general model of error-prone PCR (Pritchard, L. et al) (2160/124)
The DSpace Course - Repository Structure (Lewis, Stuart et al) (2160/638)
Postmodern Nihilism: Theory and Literature (Slocombe, Will) (2160/267)
Using OAI-PMH and METS for exporting metadata and digital objects between…
Super-eruptions: global effects and future threats (Sparks, Stephen et al)…
Draft Version of a Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-Names (unpublished)…
The DSpace Course - An Introduction to DSpace (Lewis, Stuart et al) (2160/617)
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
CADAIR STATISTICS
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
Sep-08
Oct-08
Nov-08
Dec-08
Jan-09
Feb-09
Mar-09
Apr-09
May-09
Jun-09
Items Archived
19
19
552
550
49
25
41
40
202
90
Bitstream Views
19,918
25,568
21,432
19,013
18,101
17,550
42,107
22,971
45,626
193,168
Item Views
14,997
22,599
28,890
26,576
31,734
33,592
39,389
38,681
56,879
38,176
Collection Views
4,343
3,700
4,151
4,296
5,102
4,528
5,498
3,728
5,666
3,948
Community Views
2,419
2,630
2,112
2,363
2,524
2,303
2,466
1,567
2,035
1,638
Searches Performed
4,085
5,099
5,162
4,519
5,967
5,780
6,015
5,524
6,711
4,612
TRY SOME VARIATION…
SOME COLOUR…DIFFERENT FORMATS…
CADAIR: STATISTICAL REPORT – JANUARY - JUNE 2009
General
Overview
Items
Archived
Page views
Visits
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
Total
49
25
41
40
202
96
453
17,590
4,585
20,649
5,349
25,787
7,368
21,603
7,054
26,462
7,307
22,616
6,168
134,707
37,831
TOP 10 COUNTRIES
1. UK
2. US
3. India
2. Canada
5. Australia
6. Germany
7. Spain
8. China
9. Italy
10. France
VISITS: JAN-JUNE 09
WORLD-WIDE
PERCENTAGE
UK - 13,570
US - 6,026
Ind - 1,819
Can - 1,128
Aus - 936
Ger - 916
Spa - 856
Chi - 714
Ita 563
Fra - 519
35.87%
15.93%
4.81%
2.98%
2.47%
2.42%
2.26%
1.89%
1.49%
1.37%
TRAFFIC SOURCES
OVERVIEW
Search Engines
(55.79%)
Referring Sites
(33.34%)
Direct Traffic
(10.87%)
 Top 3 articles across Aberystwyth
University
 Top 3 theses
 Main contributors (departments)
 Projects
 Collaborations
'I have
found CADAIR to
be a most effective
and efficient way
of publicising my
work’. Prof
Nicholas Wheeler,
InterPol.
Thank you for the
invitation to add
papers on Cadair. Prof
Michael Hambrey,
IGES.
That’s all looking very
good. Thanks for
addressing it so
quickly. Prof David Ian
Rabey, TFTS
“I think CADAIR is a vital resource for the University, and should be the default used to accurately record and assess research
output. My view is that it should record only published outputs: preprints should be discouraged as there are servers available for
this purpose elsewhere. It should be used internally for consideration by committees such as Awards and Titles, post-graduate
competitions, departmental research monitoring, etc. Externally, it fulfils the role of dissemination of published research now
required by the Research Councils. It is easy to use and compares favourably with other repositories. There is no reason why
CADAIR should not become mandatory, and act as the definitive source of information on published research output for
Aberystwyth”. Prof John Gough, IMAPS
“I think that Cadair represents a very helpful new development in the services provided by the university. The internet is a most
powerful research tool – increasingly papers are being accessed first in this way. From my perspective Cadair provides an
opportunity to give access to work that is no longer available elsewhere and also links to more recent work which is available in
print or internet form”. Prof Howard Williams, Department of International Politics.
MOST SEARCHED
DEPARTMENTS:
11,885 visits from US cities
New York
Information Studies – 677 times
IBERS – 422 times
Computer Science – 363 times
History and Welsh History – 340 times
International Politics – 305 times
Atlanta
Washington
Columbus
27, 074 visits from UK cities.
London
Seattle
Aberystwyth
Chicago
Birmingham
Los Angeles
Manchester
Houston
Cardiff
Austin
San Francisco
Glasgow
Bristol
Edinburgh
Sheffield
Leeds
Nottingham
Cambridge
Swansea
Oxford
 50 universities and their e-theses mandates were surveyed –
questions via email to UKCoRR discussion list + hard copy
forms (survey monkey another option)
 There are 166 universities in the UK (Universities UK
04/05/2010)
 Therefore, this inferential survey shows 30.1% of them all
(50÷166x100)
 Organise data under appropriate headings
 Plot information initially on an Excel spreadsheet if you are
comfortable with this format
http://pinoyelections.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/03/survey.jpg
 Proposal to AU Research Degree Board to
move to an opt-out mandate
 Of 50 UK HEIs, 34 have opt-out mandates, 8
opt-in, 8 none at all
 Headings included:
• What mandate does AU presently
•
•
•
•
•
have?
What have been the problems faced?
What mandates do other UK HEIs
have?
Why choose opt-out?
How can we address potential issues?
What do we do next?
TOP 5 THESES IN AU
Depts.
No of hits
Postmodern Nihilism
English
3038
Poetics of the Past
English
2332
Management Control
Systems
SMB
2210
A Library of our Own
DIS
1718
Consonantal System of
Cornish
Welsh
1626
 For individual academics – how many hits
http://www.aecsoftusa.com/picElements/2
TierReporting.jpg
an article has received/where in the
repository list
 For departments – impact of
articles/items submitted to
repository/impact of postgraduate theses
 To your own department – external visits
to the repository etc
 Personal portfolio – detailed examples of
work achieved/courses
attended/presentations given
PRESENTATIONS
CONFERENCES & EVENTS
INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED
TRAINING & WORKSHOPS
INTENAL/REPOSITORY MEETINGS
EXTERNAL MEETINGS
COURSES ATTENDED
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS WITH
ACADEMICS
I.S. RELATED ACTIVITIES
REPOSITORY PROJECTS
MEMBERSHIPS/ASSOCIATIONS
REPORTS/PUBLICATIONS &
ADVOCACY
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC300001821033.aspx?CategoryID=CT101043361033
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Were the original questions important?
Were the assumptions from which the original questions
emerged valid?
Was there adequate precision and planning?
Was there the proper degree of generality?
Was the research overambitious?
Have there been proper control checks?
Was there an extension of the purpose of the research after it
was planned, for another function?
 Know who the information is for
 Gather relevant data
 Decide on appropriate formats
 Use a variety if possible
 Ask for opinions
 Make sure data is correct
 Bailar, J. C. (1997) Science, Statistics and Deception, in Research Ethics: A Reader (Deni
Elliott and Judy E. Stern, eds., Hanover University Press: of New England, 104.
 Brown, J. (n. d.)Literature review of research into attitudes towards electronic theses and
dissertations (ETDs). London E-Prints Access Project, http://www.sherpa-leap.ac.uk/
 Greig, M. (2005) Implementing electronic theses at the University of Glasgow: cultural
challenges. Library Collections, Acquisitions and Technical Services, 29, 326-335.
 Nelson, L. A., Crotty, M. (n. d.) The Ethical Use Of Statistics in Research. North Carolina
State University. Initial draft.
 Pickton, M.J., McKnight, C. (2006) Research students and the Loughborough institutional
repository. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 38, (4), 203-219.
 Office for National Statistics: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/glance/
 American Statistical Association: http://www.amstat.org/publications/sadm.cfm
 International Statistical Institute: http://isi.cbs.nl/ethics.htm
Nicky Cashman, Gregynog 2010
[email protected]
Unless otherwise referenced, all images from Word Clip Art or my own charts and data.