|
|
Is your study worth doing? Do your results make sense?
Hi! My name is Paul Ellis. I have served on numerous editorial boards, won research awards and countless grants. But several years ago, a question stopped me in my tracks.
Am I doing research that matters?
Am I doing research that matters?
I was not the only one asking this question. Across many disciplines there have been growing calls for engagement with stakeholders beyond the research community. Academy presidents, journal editors, grant committees, and dissertation chairs have long called for researchers to evaluate the substantive, as opposed to the statistical, significance of their results.
But how? These were not skills I had learned in my doctoral training. Number-crunching was straightforward, but interpreting results in a way made sense to the average Joe was hard. No one seemed to be teaching this stuff.
I decided to return to the beginning like a fresh-PhD student. I spent the next several years engaged in cross-disciplinary study, and the result was a textbook published by Cambridge University Press. It's a good book, but some colleagues and students found it a step too far. They wanted something they could grasp in a single sitting. When presented with evidence showing that the vast majority of studies (85%) are designed to fail, their response was, "Show me how to fix this fast."
So I did. Drawing on my experience as a teacher of graduate-level methods courses, I wrote three easy-to-read how-to books. Using step-by-step examples proven in the classroom, these books show you how to design studies with sufficient power to detect sought-after effects, and how to interpret results in ways that make sense to nonspecialists.
But how? These were not skills I had learned in my doctoral training. Number-crunching was straightforward, but interpreting results in a way made sense to the average Joe was hard. No one seemed to be teaching this stuff.
I decided to return to the beginning like a fresh-PhD student. I spent the next several years engaged in cross-disciplinary study, and the result was a textbook published by Cambridge University Press. It's a good book, but some colleagues and students found it a step too far. They wanted something they could grasp in a single sitting. When presented with evidence showing that the vast majority of studies (85%) are designed to fail, their response was, "Show me how to fix this fast."
So I did. Drawing on my experience as a teacher of graduate-level methods courses, I wrote three easy-to-read how-to books. Using step-by-step examples proven in the classroom, these books show you how to design studies with sufficient power to detect sought-after effects, and how to interpret results in ways that make sense to nonspecialists.
Effect Size Matters
This jargon-free introduction to effect sizes will show you how to the answer the dreaded “So what?” question. It will teach you how to interpret the substantive as opposed to the statistical significance of your results.
|
In this book you will
- discover five compelling reasons to report effect sizes - learn which journal editors are insisting authors report effect sizes and why - learn how to calculate effect sizes in a variety of metrics - learn the difference between statistical- and substantive significance - learn how to interpret your results in a way that makes sense to nonspecialists - discover why small effects can sometimes have big consequences - learn how to use the highly controversial Result Whacker - and much more! |
|
Using a class-tested approach, Effect Size Matters will provide you with the tools to meaningfully interpret the results of your research.
Statistical Power Trip
The analysis of statistical power is essential for anyone who relies on tests of statistical significance. Yet most researchers don't know how to do it and the majority of stats texts say nothing about it! In this jargon-free introduction, I will show you how to avoid the many problems that arise from misunderstanding statistical power.
|
In this book you will learn
- how to calculate required sample sizes - how to design studies with adequate levels of statistical power - five ways for increasing the power of an under-powered study - why too much power can be just as bad as too little - why you can’t draw substantive conclusions from p values - why fishing in your dataset is rarely a good idea - the names of the 25 journals that have had their average power levels surveyed - how the majority of studies in the social sciences are fatally flawed by design - how to ensure your study has the best chance of reaching definitive conclusions - and much more! |
|
Why waste resources on projects that are set up to fail? Statistical Power Trip will show you how to design studies that win grants and get published!
Meta-Analysis Made Easy
Will your research make a unique contribution? Or are you reinventing the wheel? In my third book. I will show you how to draw conclusions even from inconclusive studies and discover untapped gold mines for further research.
|
In this book you will learn
- how to pool effect sizes from past research - discover patterns of meaning in disparate results - harvest effect sizes that are essential for power analyses - establish nonzero benchmarks more meaningful than the null - uncover the influence of meta-moderators that no one else has seen - find useful remedies for overcoming the availability bias - and much more! |
|
Using a class-tested approach, Meta-Analysis Made Easy will give you the tools you need to make sense of past research and identify the most fruitful avenues for future inquiry!
Why these books are unique
If you are looking for a dense, equation-ridden book that costs a fortune and sounds like it was written in a foreign language, you have plenty of choices. My books are different for several reasons:
- Evidence-based: As an experienced methods teacher I am aware of the seductive powers of the latest techniques and tools. These have their place, but there's no substitute for evidence. These books will show you how to examine the evidence directly. What is it? How big is it? And what does it mean?
- Meaningful interpretation: As a highly-published researcher, I am aware of the temptation to pass off statistically significant results as meaningful. But it your result doesn't make sense to the proverbial man or woman in the street, then it doesn't make sense. These books will help you interpret your results in metrics that are meaningful to nonspecialists.
- Jargon-free: Teaching in a city where English is the second-language (Hong Kong) forced me to be simple and clear. These books weren't written to impress you but to help you get up the learning curve with as little fuss as possible. Their tone is light and the concepts are easy to grasp.
What is your time worth?
There are few things more depressing than committing to a research project that yields nothing. If you could be told in advance the probability that your project would succeed, how much would you pay for that information?
To sign up for my Research Methods course would cost you thousands in fees. To teach yourself the lessons distilled in these books would require months or years of study. However, I'm offering these books for just $15.99 each. Even better, you can get all three books for just $19.99—a saving of more than $20.00!
I'm not selling these books to fund my retirement and there are no margins going to middlemen. I just want to help you do better research. These are the manuals I wish I had when I was starting out. Whether you are a doctoral student or a professor, they will help you do research that matters.
To sign up for my Research Methods course would cost you thousands in fees. To teach yourself the lessons distilled in these books would require months or years of study. However, I'm offering these books for just $15.99 each. Even better, you can get all three books for just $19.99—a saving of more than $20.00!
I'm not selling these books to fund my retirement and there are no margins going to middlemen. I just want to help you do better research. These are the manuals I wish I had when I was starting out. Whether you are a doctoral student or a professor, they will help you do research that matters.
Get all three books
for only $19.99! |
Buy Effect Size Matters
for just $15.99! |
Buy Statistical Power Trip
for just $15.99 |
Buy Meta-Analysis Made Easy
for just $15.99 |
Please note: these ebooks are available as a PDF download while the three-book combo for $19.99 comes in 3 formats: PDF, ePub (read it on your phone), and MOBI (read it in your Kindle reader).
What are readers saying about The Essential Guide to Effect Sizes?
"Paul Ellis writes with a light touch, explains well, and uses numerous practical examples. He focuses on the issues that are central to the statistical changes now sweeping many disciplines. The Essential Guide to Effect Sizes is a highly readable, highly practical book. It will be invaluable to anyone who wishes to contribute to - or even just understand - the research of the future."
~Geoff Cumming, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University
"Assessing the substantive significance of research is essential for both scientific progress and practical implications. This authoritative and well-written book gives relevant examples of key issues and offers practical guidelines for assessing the importance of research findings. The book concludes with clear recommendations for designing and carrying out good research and for assessing and reporting research findings."
~ William H. Starbuck, Professor Emeritus, New York University
"Excellent book!" ~Andreas Schwab, Iowa State University
"This book is a good read, not at all heavy on technical jargon or formulas. Well-written and informative. Heartily recommended."
~John V. Karavitis,
"I thoroughly enjoyed The Essential Guide to Effect Sizes and read it twice. Later I incorporated this book into a module in my advanced stats class for doctoral students. The topic was perfect for them, and the comfortable writing style made the book a delight to read. As noted by the author, some people write to impress and others to instruct. This book is for instruction."
~Wm A. Sands, Ph.D.
"The Essential Guide to Effect Sizes is a very thorough, well explained guide to assuring levels of power during the design stage of a research effort. The importance of such an analysis seems to be missing in most graduate level statistics courses, but it can serve a researcher very well." ~Amazon reviewer
"Before reading the book I thought it might run the risk of preaching practical significance as a way of replacing statistical significance. Dr. Ellis does not go down that path at all, in fact quite the opposite. It is a very well explained approach to the importance of paying attention to both practical and statistical significance in the same research effort." ~Amazon reviewer
"Too many stats texts focus on p values and alpha testing, versus computing and interpreting effect size. I've taught statistics and research design at Psychology Departments at various universities over the past 25+ years before retiring. If I still taught, I would definitely include this book, even at the undergraduate level, and refer to it at least when dealing with effect size." ~Amazon reviewer
~Geoff Cumming, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University
"Assessing the substantive significance of research is essential for both scientific progress and practical implications. This authoritative and well-written book gives relevant examples of key issues and offers practical guidelines for assessing the importance of research findings. The book concludes with clear recommendations for designing and carrying out good research and for assessing and reporting research findings."
~ William H. Starbuck, Professor Emeritus, New York University
"Excellent book!" ~Andreas Schwab, Iowa State University
"This book is a good read, not at all heavy on technical jargon or formulas. Well-written and informative. Heartily recommended."
~John V. Karavitis,
"I thoroughly enjoyed The Essential Guide to Effect Sizes and read it twice. Later I incorporated this book into a module in my advanced stats class for doctoral students. The topic was perfect for them, and the comfortable writing style made the book a delight to read. As noted by the author, some people write to impress and others to instruct. This book is for instruction."
~Wm A. Sands, Ph.D.
"The Essential Guide to Effect Sizes is a very thorough, well explained guide to assuring levels of power during the design stage of a research effort. The importance of such an analysis seems to be missing in most graduate level statistics courses, but it can serve a researcher very well." ~Amazon reviewer
"Before reading the book I thought it might run the risk of preaching practical significance as a way of replacing statistical significance. Dr. Ellis does not go down that path at all, in fact quite the opposite. It is a very well explained approach to the importance of paying attention to both practical and statistical significance in the same research effort." ~Amazon reviewer
"Too many stats texts focus on p values and alpha testing, versus computing and interpreting effect size. I've taught statistics and research design at Psychology Departments at various universities over the past 25+ years before retiring. If I still taught, I would definitely include this book, even at the undergraduate level, and refer to it at least when dealing with effect size." ~Amazon reviewer
The three-book bundle is available in 3 formats: PDF, ePub, and MOBI. Get your copy now!
