Application, Interpretation, and Presentation of Statistics
[WLO: 2] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Over the past few weeks, you have explored a variety of statistical techniques that each play an important role in conducting research. For this Final Paper, you will evaluate the application, interpretations, and presentation of statistics in formal and informal research studies.

Begin by locating three research studies to analyze for your Final Paper, based on the three statistical techniques below:

At least one study should display data through graphs, tables, and/or charts.
At least one study should describe the hypothesis testing procedure that was used (either explicitly /specifically, or implicitly/generally).
At least one study should use inferential statistical analysis tests or correlation/regression approaches.
Once you have selected your three research studies, develop a paper using the format below as a guide.

Final Paper Structure

Opening: State which three specific statistical procedures you will be evaluating.
Thesis: Describe how these statistical procedures been used to answer research questions.
Literature Review: For each study presented, state the research question being asked.
Explain how the illustrated statistical procedure helped to answer each research question.
Statistical Discussion: Analyze the value, strengths, and weaknesses of each statistical technique in answering formal and informal research questions.
Conclusion: Summarize the general use of statistical tools in quantitative research studies.
The Final Paper

Must be 8 to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers APA Style (Links to an external site.)
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Students name
Course name and number
Instructors name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
Must use at least five sources in addition to the course text. (Note: You should use credible sources to explain the main concept/statistical technique and scholarly sources/peer-reviewed articles for examples of the concept/statistical technique.)
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.