Question

multiple choice question
which of the following best describes the role of a statistician in working with data?
○ the statistician should mine the data for information to support conclusions.
○ the statistician should discard data which is obviously wrong.
○ the statistician should strive to present analysis with clarity, honesty, and integrity.
○ the statistician should choose appropriate measures to confirm what the statistician wants to convey.

Explanation:

• Mining data to pre-support conclusions risks bias and cherry-picking, which violates ethical statistical practice.
• While addressing erroneous data is part of work, simply discarding it without documentation or investigation is not the core defining role.
• Choosing measures to confirm a desired outcome is manipulative and contradicts objective statistical analysis.
• The core ethical and professional role of a statistician is to ensure analysis is clear, honest, and conducted with integrity, which encompasses proper data handling, objective analysis, and transparent reporting.

Answer:

C. The statistician should strive to present analysis with clarity, honesty, and integrity.