Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Librarians And Statistics: Thoughts On A Tentative Relationship, Amy S. Van Epps

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Librarians are not trained as original researchers during library school. As a result, librarians as authors may succumb to common statistical misconceptions and use errors, thus it is important for librarians to know how to recognize them. A quick discussion of what a researcher should be aware to avoid poor methods and inaccurate use of statistics is included. A review of statistics and research methods courses currently offered in library and information science programs helps determine if the lack of training observed in earlier studies has changed. A list of recommendations for authors and reviewers of LIS literature is presented.