Statistical and Research resources

     From the Center for Health Studies:  

• WORKSHOP on QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS in EDUCATION, HEALTH, and SOCIAL SCIENCES 
• PROJECTS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD including

          MVPreg | MIXZIP | RMASS | BIFACTOR   SuperMix   | Mixed-Up Suite | NPPL | LPL

• SELECTED PAPERS AVAILABLE 

SSA and CHAS are happy to announce that we have continued our support and partnership with the Library and the Social Sciences Division in order to bring you access to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).  As a member of the UChicago community, you may access ICPSR from any computer on campus. Off-campus access is coming soon.

ICPSR is a repository of over 500,000 data sets that have been compiled by researchers in a broad range of disciplines. These data sets can be downloaded for analysis with major statistical packages, such as SPSS and SAS. Data sets range from broad topics like the U.S. Census to very specific topics, such as “Voting Results Under a Single-Transferable-Vote System in Malta, 1921-1996“, “The Evangelical Voter in the United States, 1983” or “Collective Memory in Lithuania, 1989“

Access ICPSR here  If the link does not work, copy and paste this url in your browser: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/index.jsp

You will need to create an account so you may sign in to ICPSR.  There is no cost associated with the account.  After you establish your account and sign in, you will be able to find data sets, compare variables, and find publications as well as having access to other resources.

• Gpower  G*Power is a free general power analysis program.

  G*Power performs high-precision statistical power analyses for the most common statistical tests in behavioral research, that is,

  • t-tests (independent samples, correlations, and any other t-test),
  • F-tests (ANOVAS, multiple correlation and regression, and any other F-test), and
  • Chi²-tests (goodness of fit and contingency tables).

  G*Power computes

  • power values for given sample sizes, effect sizes, and alpha levels (post hoc power analyses),
  • sample sizes for given effect sizes, alpha levels, and power values (a priori power analyses), and
  • alpha and beta values for given sample sizes, effect sizes, and beta/alpha ratios (compromise power analyses).

  The program may be used to display graphically the relation between any two of the relevant variables and it offers the opportunity to compute the effect size measures from basic parameters defining the alternative hypothesis.  You may give the program to friends and colleagues who might find it useful. However, if you want to include G*Power on a shareware or freeware CD-ROM, or if you want to distribute it together with commercial software, you must ask the authors for permission.

• Chicago RDC  (Chicago Census Research Data Center) now has NCHS and AHRQ data available for use.  For example, NCHS is linking up several surveys with Medicare enrollment and claims records and those confidential restricted data sets are available. 

  Click here for descriptions of RDC Health Data Summary. 

  Click here for a listing of all data available from Chicago RDC. 

• Biostatistics Core Facility  and The Biostatistics Laboratory

  The Biostatistics Laboratory at the University of Chicago

  The Biostatistics Laboratory is a resource for advice on biostatistics, including research design and statistical analysis. They actively collaborate with investigators, and encourage potential investigators to contact them at an early stage in their planning. The Biostatistics Clinic has been established to provide free, short-term statistical consultation. This could include:

  • discussion about study design,
  • sample size calculations,
  • advice on organizing data for analysis,
  • basic data analysis,
  • advice to those conducting their own analyses,
  • initial planning and referral for more extensive consultation.

  Staffed by members of the Biostatistics Laboratory, the Clinic is currently held on Tuesdays from 9-1 with one-hour time slots available. Appointments are required. This service is funded in part by the University of Chicago Institute for Translational Medicine (CTSA) to lower barriers and to accelerate clinical and translational research.  The Biostatistics Laboratory is located in the Medical Center at the north end of the 3rd floor of the Mothers Aid Research Pavilion (MARP - R-corridor). This can be accessed from the 2nd floor of Goldblatt (W and G corridors) by the staircase at the west end of the corridor near the entrance to the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology suite.

• Pilot Study Design and Planning

  Pilot studies are an important part of clinical, translational research because they can lead to refinement of procedures and hypotheses and can generate preliminary data prior to undertaking a larger study. As with all other aspects of research, good study design and planning is essential for a pilot study. The following links detail issues to consider when designing these studies: a pilot study checklist and slides from a presentation on pilot studies.

• Department of Statistics Consulting Program

  The Department of Statistics invites faculty, staff, and students of the University to participate in its consulting program. Consultation is provided by graduate students of the Department with guidance from faculty members. Assistance is available in the areas of applied probability, statistical design, choice and application of statistical methods, analysis of data, and interpretation of results. Clients are encouraged to seek consultation at the design stage of their research.

  There is no fee for participation in the program, but participants will generally be required to make available a machine-readable version of their data.

  Participation will be limited to projects judged to provide the greatest potential benefits for both consultants and clients. In addition, as the number of quarterly requests for consultation generally exceeds the capacity of the program, potential clients are encouraged to make their participation requests early in the quarter. The program does not provide tutoring services, course work assistance, or emergency consulting.

• The University of Chicago Survey Lab

  The Survey Lab provides a wide range of data collection services.  They can carry out a project from start to finish, including questionnaire design and pre-testing, interviewer training and oversight, data collection and cleaning, final data files and reports. Or, you may need only one or two pieces of the total package: review of a draft questionnaire, consulting to help you through your own data collection process, hosting a web survey you have already designed, a formal training session for your interviewers, etc.

  The Survey Lab's services are available on a fee-for-service basis to clients both internal and external to the University of Chicago. Please contact us if you are interested in obtaining a cost estimate for your study.

  Go to their website to find more information about core services, including:

  • Surveys
  • Qualitative Research Interviews
  • Focus Groups
  • Observation
  • Custom Workshops
  • Consulting