GUIDELINES FOR PROJECT REPORTS    (M358K Sp 06 Smith)


Due Friday, May 5 (last class day)

I. You are to hand in one  project report for your whole group. (See details below.)

II. In addition, each group member should hand in, separately, a short description  of i) the role of each member in the work of the project group, and ii) what he or she (the indvdual writer) learned from doing the project.8.21, 8.23, 8.59, 8.63

Guidelines for Project Reports

•    Clearly  and precisely state the question(s) you are studying. Explain why it is interesting.
•    Describe in detail how you obtained your data, and why you chose this method and sample size. (See Preliminary Project Proposal handout to help check that you have included everything relevant.) Discuss any difficulties you encountered in collecting your data.
•    Present your data in an organized fashion. (Think about how best to do this.)
•    Discuss why the method of analysis you have chosen is appropriate.  (Does your situation fit the model assumptions? If not, is it within the guidelines for when the procedure is robust?) Be sure to include graphs; think carefully about what types of graphs are best for your situation. 
•    Present your analysis. Be sure to state any hypotheses clearly and define any parameters  clearly. Explain why you have chosen the analysis (confidence interval, hypothesis test, both, etc.) you have used. If you have found a confidence interval, explain why you have chosen the confidence level you did. If you have set a particular alpha level for accepting significance, explain why you chose that alpha level.
•    Present your conclusions. Be sure they address  the question(s) you asked at the beginning of your report. Be sure to use appropriate language -- for example, remember that a statistical analysis can’t “prove” anything; it can only provide evidence (strong, weak, none) in support of or against something. Be sure to discuss any possible confounding variables or problems with your study that need to be taken into account in interpreting your results.
•    Write up your report in an organized, clearly written fashion, using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Be sure graphs are well-drawn and clearly labeled. Be sure that graphs, tables, or figures appear as close as reasonably possible to the writing discussing them. (If you can’t do this with your word processor, then cut, tape, and photocopy.)