The leading-digit procedure and format for displaying tables of simulation output

Abstract

We propose a procedure and format for reporting a statistical point estimator and its precision in simulation experiments. The procedure discards meaningless digits of the point estimator, and all but the left-most non-zero digit of the standard error. The two resulting values are reported, separated by a semicolon. Based on three criteria---minimal loss of statistical information, minimal number of digits required, and appeal to all levels of user sophistication---we advocate our procedure for use when reporting many point estimators in tabular form. Our procedure and format are intended to be widely applicable and appealing for all levels of users. Specifically, naive users are not misled and sophiscated users will find the format useful because the indicate precision is well-defined and the loss of statistical information is insignificant.