Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data [Hardcover]

Joel Best (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0520257464 | ISBN-13: 978-0520257467 | Edition: 1

Are four million women really battered to death by their husbands or boyfriends each year? Does a young person commit suicide every thirteen minutes in the United States? Is methamphetamine our number one drug problem today? Alarming statistics bombard our daily lives, appearing in the news, on the Web, seemingly everywhere. But all too often, even the most respected publications present numbers that are miscalculated, misinterpreted, hyped, or simply misleading. Following on the heels of his highly acclaimed Damned Lies and Statistics and More Damned Lies and Statistics, Joel Best now offers this practical field guide to help everyone identify questionable statistics. Entertaining, informative, and concise, Stat-Spotting is essential reading for people who want to be more savvy and critical consumers of news and information.
Stat-Spotting features:
* Pertinent examples from today's news, including the number of deaths reported in Iraq, the threat of secondhand smoke, the increase in the number of overweight Americans, and many more
* A commonsense approach that doesn't require advanced math or statistics

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An ideal guide for anyone who reads a newspaper, watches television, or surfs the Web. In short, everyone."--Numeracy

"Offers an eye-opening field guide to identifying problematic data and concludes by calling for better statistics."--Nacada Journal

From the Inside Flap

"If you ever scan the newspaper, watch the TV news, or surf the blogs, you should read this charming book. If you're a journalist, read it twice."--James M. Jasper

"As we now swim in information, much of it bogus or biased, spotting dubious data is super important. In Stat-Spotting, Joel Best plays off the format of field guides to give readers good, common sense ways not only to sense bad data but to understand what's wrong. Broken up into short independent sections much like field guides to various flora or fauna, the book is easy and enjoyable to read. Easy, enjoyable, and valuable. I will recommend it to my students, and to others, as a resource for critical consumers of numbers."--Bernard Madison, University of Arkansas

"The purpose of Stat-Spotting is to help readers become more critical consumers of statistical claims. It is an important work addressing a significant problem in contemporary society: thoughtlessness about numerical claims. Best's work here provides a direct, accessible guide to critical readings of statistics."--Neil Lutsky, Carleton College

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 132 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (October 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520257464
• ISBN-13: 978-0520257467
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.6 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Social Statistics - A Practical Guide December 16, 2008

By G. Poirier

Format:Hardcover

There are many books written on the interpretation of statistical information for the non-specialist. Some are quite engaging and difficult to put down; others are quite boring. I would place this little book roughly in the middle of that range - it's not the most gripping but it is certainly an eye-opener for those seeking guidance in this field. The author, a sociology professor, has divided the book such that each chapter addresses a type of question that a reader should ask when reviewing statistical information that may seem dubious or misleading. Each chapter opens with a brief digression on the issue at hand. This is followed by a practical example, i.e., a statistical "fact" that has been published in some medium and which the author analyzes in order to put this "fact" into perspective and in a manner that the reader can more easily interpret. The writing style is clear, authoritative and accessible to a wide audience. People seeking to make sense of the statistical data that floods our lives every day would benefit greatly from reading this concise little book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful and Informative March 23, 2009

By John Roberts

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

One of the most important things one can do in this time of too much information is to be able to evaluate the information being presented to you. Stat-Spotting delivers by giving you tools and yardsticks to use in evaluating statistical and numerical information presented in the plethora of sources available to someone researching a topic.

This is a book that I suggest everyone read...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I want so badly to give this book five stars... June 22, 2009

By Greg TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

...but it's too slight. With some judicious editing, it's a journal article. But this is a case where the complaint is not that the food was bad and the portions too small: In fact, the food was so great, one wishes it were all-you-can-eat.

And then I'm left wondering if perhaps the book's very brevity might not be part of what makes it so splendind. I have often complained that too many books are mere pamphlets exploded out to book size to make them marketable. I guess if one does not tie value to mass, then even though this book might seem too little of a good thing, it is a remarkable value for what it does contain.

What it contains, chiefly, is a compact description of several particular species of stat problem (and ultimately, sign of a healthy stat) to watch out for, followed by an example of such a stat's use from real life. In this regard, it follows pretty literally its description as a "field guide," and the samples selected are key to what makes this book excellent.

I am not confident that after reading this book I will be as good at teasing out the issues as Best and other statisticians are, but he has tried to give me some tools to recognize some of the more egregious examples of number abuse. As someone who has long struggled with numeracy and come to see just how crucial it is for a rounded understanding of science and politics and other key subjects, I am grateful for the assistance such a guide provides. I think "Spotting" is a terrific book for people who find themselves in a similar position.