To Projects

IT223 -- Project 6

Statistics Article Critique

• Find an article, written for a popular audience, in a newspaper, magazine or on the internet that uses statistics to present its findings. If you look in a newspaper, the business section is probably more likely to contain articles presenting statistical data. You might go to the library and look at the Wall Street Journal. Write a critique of how the article presents statistics. You can find an article that
  does a good job of presenting statistics in an understandable or unusual way.

  uses statistics in a misleading way as discussed in Misuses of Statistics.

  presents statistics in a confusing way.

  discusses misuses of statistics.

  leaves important items out of the discussion.

• Important:   You must provide me with a link to the article you are critiquing if the article is online, or a hardcopy if it is not.

• Confusing correlation with causation is a common misuse of statistics. You may wish to find an article that does this or fails to address this to your satisfaction.

• You may wish to ask the questions listed in the section "How to Talk Back to a Statistic:"
  Who says so?

  How do they know?

  What's missing?

  Did somebody change the subject? (semi-attached figure)

  Does it make sense?

• Submit a hardcopy of the article together with a 1/2 to one page critique or discussion of the article.

• Here are some topics you might look for if you use online search:
  Is global warming real?

  Is ethanol a real energy solution?

  When will the housing market turn around?

  Should marajuana be legalized?

  Does smoking cause lung cancer?

  Does gangster rap music cause violent behavior in teenagers?

  Should the driving age of to obtain a license in Illinois be raised to 18?

  Should the drinking age in Illinois be lowered to 18?

  Is irradiated meat safe?

  Does gun control reduce crime?

  How many more civilian deaths have been directly caused by the U.S led invasion of Iraq. Here is an article that discusses the The Human Cost of the War in Iraq.

  Are college students less informed about current events than they used to be?

  Are UFOs real?

• Remember, your primary goal is not to critique the article, but to critique how it presents statistics.

• Grading Breakdown: Is Critique of How the Article Uses Statistics? 40%, Relevant Article: 20%, Well Written: 20%, Interesting: 20%.