Training Statisticians To Be Alert To The Dangers Of Misapplying Statistical Methods

Abstract

Statisticians are faced with a variety of challenges. Their ability to cope successfully with these challenges depends, in large part, on the quality of their training. It is not the purpose of this article to present a comprehensive training plan that will overhaul the standard curriculum a statistician might follow under current training regimens (i.e., in a degree program). Rather, the objective is to point out important areas that appear to be under-represented in standard curricula and correspondingly overlooked too often in practice. The hope is that these areas might be better integrated into the training of the next generation of statisticians.