Damien Tedoldi , Boram Kim , Santiago Sandoval , Nicolas Forquet , Bruno Tassin
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Position paper: Common mistakes and solutions for a better use of correlation- and regression-based approaches in environmental sciences
While empirical modelling remains a popular practice in environmental sciences, an alarming number of misuses of correlation- and regression-based techniques are encountered in recent research, although these techniques are described in courses and textbooks. This position paper reviews the most common issues, and provides theoretical background for understanding the interests and limitations of these methods, based on their underlying assumptions. We call for a reconsideration of misleading practices, including: the application of linear regression to data points that do not display a linear pattern, the failure to pinpoint influential points, the inappropriate extrapolation of empirical relationships, the overrated search for “statistical significance”, the pooling of data belonging to different populations, and, most importantly, calculations without data visualization. We urge reviewers to be vigilant on these aspects. We also recall the existence of alternative approaches to overcome the highlighted shortcomings, and thus contribute to a more accurate interpretation of the results.
期刊介绍:
Environmental Modelling & Software publishes contributions, in the form of research articles, reviews and short communications, on recent advances in environmental modelling and/or software. The aim is to improve our capacity to represent, understand, predict or manage the behaviour of environmental systems at all practical scales, and to communicate those improvements to a wide scientific and professional audience.