20 categories

Research Methods

How to reason from data: self-experiments, statistics, bias and confounding.

30 topics1,295 posts9 solved Moderators: owen.brady, t.vasquez About this category

30 topics

Topic	Participants	Replies	Views	Activity
About the N-of-1 designs category Research Methods › N-of-1 designs worked example confounding effect size Pinned Wiki Designing a personal experiment that could actually change your mind, including washouts and blinding. This post is a community wiki: any member at trust level 3 or above can edit it, and every edit is…		4	22k	14h
About the Statistics category Research Methods › Statistics effect size number needed to treat heterogeneity Pinned Wiki Effect sizes, intervals, multiplicity, and the difference between absent and undetected. This post is a community wiki: any member at trust level 3 or above can edit it, and every edit is recorded with its…	+4	8	2.3k	7mo
[2026 update] Correlation in a self-tracked dataset: what it can support Research Methods › Statistics number needed to treat effect size worked example heterogeneity Posting this under the heading it deserves: Correlation in a self-tracked dataset: what it can support Everything below is what sits behind that. I have seen SURMOUNT-4 ( JAMA , 2024) cited in support of a…		2	31k	6h
Second pass at: Absence of evidence and evidence of absence Research Methods › Statistics worked example confounding number needed to treat On the subject in the title: Second pass at: Absence of evidence and evidence of absence Working notes rather than a conclusion. Session topic: SELECT ( N Engl J Med , 2023). Please read it before posting;…	+50	55	18k	16h
Blinding yourself: practical methods and their limits — the long version Research Methods › N-of-1 designs worked example effect size confounding data table Blinding yourself: practical methods and their limits — the long version Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. I have seen SURMOUNT-OSA ( N Engl J Med , 2024)…	+7	11	1.8k	22h
Washout with a one-week half-life: the arithmetic — does this still hold? Research Methods › N-of-1 designs confounding data table worked example Solved Washout with a one-week half-life: the arithmetic — does this still hold? — that is the question, and I have not found it answered plainly anywhere I have looked. Comparing SURPASS-2 ( N Engl J Med , 2021)…	+41	45	12k	1d
Designing a personal experiment that could change your mind — one year on Research Methods › N-of-1 designs effect size data table worked example Designing a personal experiment that could change your mind — one year on — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Session topic: STEP 4 ( JAMA , 2021). Please read it before…	+74	80	17k	2d
Blinding yourself: practical methods and their limits Research Methods › N-of-1 designs confounding data table effect size On the subject in the title: Blinding yourself: practical methods and their limits Working notes rather than a conclusion. Comparing PIONEER 6 ( N Engl J Med , 2019) with STEP 4 ( JAMA , 2021) and finding the…	+40	44	33k	5d
Sample size intuition for a personal experiment — does this still hold? Research Methods › Statistics effect size heterogeneity number needed to treat Solved Sample size intuition for a personal experiment — does this still hold? I have a specific reason for asking rather than idle curiosity, and the context is below. Comparing STEP 1 ( N Engl J Med , 2021) with…	+33	38	26k	23d
What a confidence interval means, from scratch Research Methods › Statistics number needed to treat confounding worked example heterogeneity What a confidence interval means, from scratch — that is the question, and I have not found it answered plainly anywhere I have looked. I have seen STEP 8 ( JAMA , 2022) cited in support of a claim I do not…		2	2.6k	2mo
Measurement error in home scales, with a worked standard deviation — the long version Research Methods › Statistics number needed to treat worked example heterogeneity effect size Solved On the subject in the title: Measurement error in home scales, with a worked standard deviation — the long version Working notes rather than a conclusion. Session topic: SURMOUNT-1 ( N Engl J Med , 2022).…	+96	105	2k	2mo
Pre-registering a personal experiment, seriously — a second dataset Research Methods › N-of-1 designs data table worked example confounding Posting this under the heading it deserves: Pre-registering a personal experiment, seriously — a second dataset Everything below is what sits behind that. I have seen STEP 8 ( JAMA , 2022) cited in support of…	+60	66	35k	3mo
Coming back to: Why most self-reports here are not experiments, and that is fine Research Methods › N-of-1 designs worked example data table effect size Solved Closed The question in the title: Why most self-reports here are not experiments, and that is fine I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. Comparing LEADER ( N Engl J Med , 2016) with…	+56	62	11k	4mo
An ABAB design with a data table and honest limitations — a second dataset Research Methods › N-of-1 designs confounding effect size data table worked example Solved On the subject in the title: An ABAB design with a data table and honest limitations — a second dataset Working notes rather than a conclusion. Session topic: STEP 2 ( Lancet , 2021). Please read it before…	+106	118	25k	4mo
Measurement error in home scales, with a worked standard deviation Research Methods › Statistics effect size heterogeneity number needed to treat confounding Solved Wiki Measurement error in home scales, with a worked standard deviation Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. Comparing SURPASS-4 ( Lancet , 2021) with STEP 1 ( N Engl…	+26	31	4.3k	4mo
Absence of evidence and evidence of absence Research Methods › Statistics effect size worked example number needed to treat Absence of evidence and evidence of absence Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. Session topic: SURMOUNT-OSA ( N Engl J Med , 2024). Please read it before…	+16	20	3.9k	5mo
An ABAB design with a data table and honest limitations Research Methods › N-of-1 designs effect size confounding worked example An ABAB design with a data table and honest limitations Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. Session topic: SURPASS-4 ( Lancet , 2021). Please read it before…		2	45k	5mo
Designing a personal experiment that could change your mind Research Methods › N-of-1 designs confounding worked example data table effect size Posting this under the heading it deserves: Designing a personal experiment that could change your mind Everything below is what sits behind that. Session topic: STEP 8 ( JAMA , 2022). Please read it before…	+2	6	695	6mo
Measurement error in home scales, with a worked standard deviation — a second dataset Research Methods › Statistics effect size confounding heterogeneity number needed to treat Solved Measurement error in home scales, with a worked standard deviation — a second dataset — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Comparing FLOW ( N Engl J Med , 2024) with SURPASS-2…		2	13k	7mo
What a confidence interval means, from scratch — the long version Research Methods › Statistics effect size worked example confounding number needed to treat The question in the title: What a confidence interval means, from scratch — the long version I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I have seen SURMOUNT-2 ( Lancet , 2023) cited…	+16	20	2.3k	8mo
Why most self-reports here are not experiments, and that is fine Research Methods › N-of-1 designs confounding worked example data table effect size Closed Why most self-reports here are not experiments, and that is fine — that is the question, and I have not found it answered plainly anywhere I have looked. I have seen SURPASS-2 ( N Engl J Med , 2021) cited in…		2	46k	11mo
Multiplicity when you track fifteen variables Research Methods › Statistics effect size heterogeneity confounding worked example Solved Multiplicity when you track fifteen variables — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Comparing LEADER ( N Engl J Med , 2016) with SURMOUNT-OSA ( N Engl J Med , 2024) and finding…		2	60k	11mo
Regression to the mean in progress reports Research Methods › Statistics number needed to treat heterogeneity confounding effect size On the subject in the title: Regression to the mean in progress reports Working notes rather than a conclusion. Session topic: PIONEER 6 ( N Engl J Med , 2019). Please read it before posting; the discussion…	+30	34	49k	12mo
Pre-registering a personal experiment, seriously Research Methods › N-of-1 designs worked example data table effect size confounding Pre-registering a personal experiment, seriously — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Comparing STEP 4 ( JAMA , 2021) with SUSTAIN 6 ( N Engl J Med , 2016) and finding the…	+96	119	58k	14mo
Second pass at: Designing a personal experiment that could change your mind Research Methods › N-of-1 designs worked example effect size confounding data table Solved Second pass at: Designing a personal experiment that could change your mind Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. Session topic: SURPASS-4 ( Lancet , 2021). Please…	+39	44	632	14mo
Second pass at: Regression to the mean in progress reports Research Methods › Statistics effect size worked example heterogeneity Second pass at: Regression to the mean in progress reports Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. Comparing SUSTAIN 6 ( N Engl J Med , 2016) with STEP 4 ( JAMA ,…	+71	75	4k	17mo
Second pass at: Multiplicity when you track fifteen variables Research Methods › Statistics number needed to treat confounding effect size worked example Posting this under the heading it deserves: Second pass at: Multiplicity when you track fifteen variables Everything below is what sits behind that. I have seen SCALE ( N Engl J Med , 2015) cited in support…		2	12k	18mo
Sample size intuition for a personal experiment Research Methods › Statistics number needed to treat heterogeneity confounding effect size On the subject in the title: Sample size intuition for a personal experiment Working notes rather than a conclusion. Session topic: STEP 2 ( Lancet , 2021). Please read it before posting; the discussion is…		4	62k	18mo
Washout with a one-week half-life: the arithmetic Research Methods › N-of-1 designs effect size data table worked example Wiki Washout with a one-week half-life: the arithmetic — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. I have seen LEADER ( N Engl J Med , 2016) cited in support of a claim I do not think it…	+90	96	44k	20mo
Correlation in a self-tracked dataset: what it can support Research Methods › Statistics effect size heterogeneity worked example number needed to treat Closed Correlation in a self-tracked dataset: what it can support — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. I have seen STEP 4 ( JAMA , 2021) cited in support of a claim I do not think it…	+152	166	48k	23mo

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