Not every statistical test is appropriate to use in every situation. It’s important to be able to determine when to apply certain statistical tests and what limitations to be aware of. Fortunately, many research studies include sections about the purpose and limitations of the study data and analysis. In this assignment, you will examine research in the criminal justice field that involves the use of statistical tests in order to better understand the applications and limitations of these tools.

 

 

 

Find an article in the University Library that involves the use of inferential statistical tests in analyzing criminal justice data. Follow the steps below to locate a full-text article in the library’s criminal justice database:

 

On the University Library home page, click on Research Databases.

In the alphabetical listing of databases, scroll to Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text and click to open it.

Click on Advanced Search.

In the first search field, add your research methodology (inferential statistics, ANOVA, or t-tests).

In the second search field, add a topic within criminal justice that interests you (e.g., police, crime, parole, drug trafficking). You may have to adjust your keyword to find an interesting article that you can use.

 

 

Read the article, paying special attention to the application and limitations of specific statistical tests used in the research.

 

 

 

Write an 875- to 1,050-word paper in which you do the following:

 

State what interested you about your selected article.

Summarize the article.

Identify the statistical test(s) used in the research.

Discuss the article’s analysis of the research question.

Compare the appropriateness of the procedures and results to the initial research question. Discuss any limitations of the statistical test(s). What did the researchers not learn from the tests that may be valuable to understand the research question?

 

 

Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.

 

 

 

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

 

 

 

Submit your assignment.

 

 

 

Resources

 

Center for Writing Excellence

Reference and Citation Generator

Grammar Assistance