The evaluations I have done have used only descriptive statistics and qualitative data. I’ve had a few grad-level statistics classes, but never used statistics software or done statistical analysis professionally. Can anyone recommend resources for someone who wants to understand and be fluent in statistical concepts but doesn’t have the time or energy to dive all the way in and become a statistician? (Sub-question: is this even a reasonable goal?) Thanks!
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Hey Jane,
No one can become an expert in all areas, especially within the very broad field of statistics, so it might be most useful to focus on the specific types of questions that you want to answer in relation to your work rather than trying to bite off “all statistics”. If you need help identifying what type of issue or work you’re trying to get a handle on, it also gets easier to pinpoint the best resources in those areas.
At the same time, two general books that I highly recommend are The Book of Why https://bookshop.org/books/the-book-of-why-the-new-science-of-cause-and-effect/9781541698963?aid=78988&listref=we-all-count-bookshelf and Thinking Clearly with Data https://bookshop.org/books/thinking-clearly-with-data-a-guide-to-quantitative-reasoning-and-analysis-9780691214368/9780691214351?aid=78988&listref=we-all-count-bookshelf .
P.S. I know that this sounds like a plug but it just actually so happens that the author of Thinking Clearly with data is joining us for an upcoming Talking Data Equity session. If you want to get notified about when that’s going to happen you can sign up here.
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