{"title":"Ditching the norm: Using alternative distributions for biological data analysis.","authors":"Stanley E Lazic","doi":"10.1177/00236772241246602","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most classical statistical tests assume data are normally distributed. If this assumption is not met, researchers often turn to non-parametric methods. These methods have some drawbacks, and if no suitable non-parametric test exists, a normal distribution may be used inappropriately instead. A better option is to select a distribution appropriate for the data from dozens available in modern software packages. Selecting a distribution that represents the data generating process is a crucial but overlooked step in analysing data. This paper discusses several alternative distributions and the types of data that they are suitable for.</p>","PeriodicalId":18013,"journal":{"name":"Laboratory Animals","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Laboratory Animals","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00236772241246602","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/8/19 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Most classical statistical tests assume data are normally distributed. If this assumption is not met, researchers often turn to non-parametric methods. These methods have some drawbacks, and if no suitable non-parametric test exists, a normal distribution may be used inappropriately instead. A better option is to select a distribution appropriate for the data from dozens available in modern software packages. Selecting a distribution that represents the data generating process is a crucial but overlooked step in analysing data. This paper discusses several alternative distributions and the types of data that they are suitable for.
期刊介绍:
The international journal of laboratory animal science and welfare, Laboratory Animals publishes peer-reviewed original papers and reviews on all aspects of the use of animals in biomedical research. The journal promotes improvements in the welfare or well-being of the animals used, it particularly focuses on research that reduces the number of animals used or which replaces animal models with in vitro alternatives.