Statistical rules of thumb

the long version

Assuming a background course in statistics, this quick-access guide is intended for the wide audience of students and researchers who deal with statistics in their own or in others' work. The author has organized the material in sections on the basics; sample size; covariation; epidemiology; environmental studies; design, conduct, and analysis; words, tables, and graphs; and consulting. Within each section, rules are stated as truths or imperatives (e.g. "exposure assessment is the weak link in assessing health effects of pollutants," "think beyond simple random sampling," "distinguish between variability and uncertainty"); and each rule is analyzed and explained.