Statistical Consulting Center
The Statistical Consulting Center provides statistical support and training to faculty and graduate students across the University in all phases of research projects.
Available consulting topics include research planning, design of experiments and surveys, methods of analysis, use of Statistical computing programs, and interpretation of results. Workshop sessions are also available upon request.
Recommended documents
Researchers are encouraged to contact the SCC in the early stage of a grant or study. If you are seeking advice on design and data analyses of his/her study, to help the Director become familiar with the study, it would be beneficial if the following documents are provided before or during the initial consulting session:
- Abstract of the proposal and/or a clear statement of the purpose of the project.
- A list of research questions to be answered.
- Copies of relevant articles and earlier work on similar topics in the discipline.
If you are seeking advice on data analyses or reporting writing after data collection, in addition to the above items, the following documents are also needed:
- A copy of the project/research protocol, if available.
- A sample of the datasheet.
- An electronic copy of the complete data set (in the format of SPSS, SAS, R, Minitab or Microsoft Excel), if available.
- Results of preliminary analyses performed, if available.
Consulting sessions
The initial consulting session will be held with the Director and, in some cases, a graduate assistant (GA). This session may often be simply expository, with the researcher explaining his/her research problem. After this initial session the Director will classify the project into one of the following three categories:
- Can be handled by the GA
- Can be handled by the Director
- Be referred to a Statistics Faculty with specific expertise. In this case, if pursued further, it would be a collaborative research between the researchers and the Statistics Faculty.
The regular consulting service typically includes an initial meeting (in person) and a reasonable number of follow-up sessions (in person, e-mail or phone).
Collaborative research and publication
The SCC encourages the acquisition of consulting assistance in the writing of research grants. Such an inclusion in the grant often enhances the likelihood of ultimately obtaining funding. In particular, the SCC invites investigators to include Statistics Consulting as an item in their research plan and budget. The SCC can provide help with the writing of statistical components in the preparation stage of a grant proposal. When the Director in involved with the grant proposal, the Director is expected to be a project co-investigator or co-PI.
Research projects involving the SCC that may result in publications, the director expects to be a co-author when (but not limited to):
- the director has made a notable contribution to the write up of the statistical analysis and conclusions section of the paper, or
- the director is actively involved either as a co-investigator/co-PI or collaborative researcher, from the beginning to the completion of a project or a funded grant.
Other than the situations listed above, if you feel that the SCC has provided helpful service to your project, it would be greatly appreciated if you include the SCC or the Director in the acknowledgement section in the publication of any form (such as thesis or plan B paper).
Submit a request
To schedule your first appointment with the Statistical Consulting Center (it would be appreciated if the appointment could be scheduled at least two business days in advance):
- Complete the Service Request Form.
- Send the recommended documents to scc@cmich.edu.
- Follow-up communications will be done in person, e-mail, or phone.
External clients
Statistical consulting is also available for clients outside the University on a fee-for-service basis. Please complete this online Service Request Form, and someone will contact you with further information on options and rates.