You are to research a topic of your own choice but as a statistician and an economist you must approach the project by stating a theory, collecting data to test the theory, analyze the data using statistical methods, and draw a conclusion.
Guidelines:
1. You are to turn in a report that is double-spaced with 12-point font. The report should be 3 pages of text. In addition, you should have about 2 pages of tables and graphs. The entire document should not be more than 5 pages. You may include a work cited page if necessary, in addition to the 5 pages; choice of citation style is up to you.
2. Grading of the report will be based on:
a. 30% – Statistical methods used (hypothesis testing, comparing populations, linear regression)
b. 40% – Analysis of results, including quality of graphs and tables.
c. 30% – Quality of the report
Here is a general outline for the report:
1. Introduction
a. Describe the purpose of your research and state the main hypothesis
b. Describe the relevant population.
2. Data Description
a. Describe where the data is from and how you collected the data. Cite all data sources. I would recommend that you collect secondary data. (Remember that collecting primary data on human subjects requires approval from IRB, which I would not recommend for this extra credit assignment)
b. Discuss how you combined/cleaned the data in getting it ready for analysis.
c. Describe the final sample
3. Descriptive Statistics
a. Provide tables and graphs that describe your data and discuss descriptive findings.(The tables and graphs should be in the Appendix, in the report you just write about them while referencing the particular graph or table in the appendix)
4. Analysis
a. Write out your hypothesis that you will test
b. Describe in detail which statistical analysis you have selected and why is it appropriate. For example, if you conduct a regression analysis make sure you write out the equation/model you are testing
c. Conduct the appropriate analysis
d. Show results
5. Conclusion
a. Discuss your results and make general conclusions regarding the hypothesis you tested.
6. Works Cited
