RESEARCH SUPPORT
Statistical Analysis Consultation
What a First Consultation Reviews
A first consultation is a statistical analysis scope review: it reads the research question, the design, the variables and any analysis already planned or run, then ends in a scope that names the analysis, the deliverables and one fixed project fee before work begins.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Fixed Project Fee
Same-Day Response
What Is Reviewed in a Consultation?
A statistical analysis consultation is a structured review of a research project before any analysis is agreed. The statistician reads the question, the design, the measurement of each variable and the structure of the data, and the consultation ends in a written scope: a statement of which analyses the research question needs, what each requires and what will be delivered. Choosing a statistical analysis is the result of that review, not its starting point, because the right test depends on whether observations are independent, paired or clustered. The review is the work of an in-house PhD-level statistician at OnlineSPSS, a specialist statistical consultancy for academic, clinical and professional research. Your Research Coordinator confirms the scope with you, and the research stays yours.
WHEN TO ENGAGE
Situations That Open a Consultation
How much is already decided varies from a bare question to finished output, and the review is shaped by which of these situations applies.
A Question Without a Method The research question is clear and the data exist or are planned, but the analysis that would answer it has not been identified, or two candidates seem equally plausible.
An Analysis Already Run Output exists from a program or an earlier colleague, and the researcher wants to know whether the method matches the design before the results are used any further.
Comments to Answer A supervisor, reviewer or funder has queried the statistics, and the consultation establishes what the comment is really asking and what response the analysis can support.
A Scope Hard to Describe The project needs statistical work, but its extent is uncertain, and the consultation sets out the stages, their order and which of the Services each falls under before anything is committed.
THE CONSULTATION REVIEW
What the Consultation Examines
Each stage of the review can change what the next one finds, so the question is examined first and the scope last.
The Research Question
The question is restated as an estimate or comparison, with the primary outcome separated from secondary ones, because a vague aim cannot select a method.
Design and Participants
How participants were chosen and whether observations are independent, paired, repeated or clustered, which sets the family of valid analyses.
Variables and Measurement
Each variable is checked for scale, coding and reliability, since the type of outcome and the quality of its measurement narrow the choice considerably.
Data in Hand
Missing values, outliers and the shape of the file are examined, and any analysis already run is compared with the design, within Quantitative Data Analysis.
Candidate Analyses
The analyses that suit the question and data are compared, drawing on Statistical Methods, with the reasons one is preferred and the cost of choosing another.
Scope and Planning
The stages, deliverables and fee are set out, with design questions referred to Research Planning & Study Design when the data are not yet collected.
WHAT A CONSULTATION OFTEN FINDS
Problems Found Before Analysis Begins
Most of these problems are visible in the project description or the first rows of the file, and none of them needs a model to be fitted before it can be seen.
Causal Question, Observational Data The question asks what a factor does, but the data were observed and not assigned, so the consultation separates what can be estimated as an association from what would need a different design.
Design Described in One Line The description says there are two groups, while the data show repeated measures or members of the same classroom, which changes the analysis and the standard errors.
Outcome Scale Unclear It is not recorded whether an outcome is a count, a rating on an ordinal scale or a continuous measure, so the family of analyses cannot be named with confidence.
Sample Size Left Until Last The sample size is considered after the data are collected, so it is unknown whether the study could detect an effect of the size that would matter.
Models Fitted Before Coding Checks Models were fitted before the coding and missing values were examined, so the results may reflect data errors and a repeat is needed once they are corrected.
Secondary Data Assumed to Fit An existing dataset is assumed to measure what the question needs, but its variables were defined for another purpose, and the consultation checks whether each one can stand for the construct being studied.
DELIVERABLES
What the Consultation Leaves With You
The review is recorded in documents you can share with a supervisor and that set out the agreed scope before work begins.
Consultation Summary A summary of the question, the design and the data as they were understood, so any misreading can be corrected at the start.
Question-to-Analysis Map A table linking each research question to its outcome, the analysis proposed and the reasons the alternatives were set aside.
Questions About the Data A short list of points about coding, missing values and structure that need an answer from the research team before any model is fitted.
Risks and Assumptions Note The assumptions each proposed analysis relies on, how they will be examined and what would prompt a change to another method.
Proposed Analysis Outline The order of the analyses, the outputs each would produce and the form of the results, whether tables, figures or both.
Scope and Fee Statement The agreed scope, the deliverables, the timeline and the fixed project fee, confirmed before any analysis starts.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A Consultation About Speaker Data
An illustration of how a first consultation separates two analyses that sounded the same in the project description.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · LINGUISTICS CORPUS RESEARCH · UNITED STATES
A doctoral researcher in linguistics asked for a comparison of vowel duration between two dialect groups, using recordings that had already been segmented and measured.
The first request described a two-group comparison. The consultation read the design and found that every speaker had contributed many recordings, and that several words recurred across speakers, so the observations were neither independent nor interchangeable. The question was restated as a difference between dialect groups after allowing for variation among speakers and words, which points to a mixed-effects model and not a simple test on all recordings. The complication was that some speakers had contributed only a handful of recordings, and the consultation set out how the model would treat them and what that meant for the width of the intervals.
Outcome: The researcher received the consultation summary, the question-to-analysis map, the list of questions about the data, the risks and assumptions note and a scope statement with the proposed analysis outline.
This example does not describe a real client or project. We never share details of actual client work, in line with the confidentiality we promise every researcher. This illustrative example is included to show the type, scope, and standard of work involved in this kind of analysis.
SOFTWARE
Files Reviewed in Their Own Format
A consultation works from the files in the program the project already uses, so the review sees the variables as they are coded and labeled.
HOW WE ASSESS YOUR PROJECT
We Review Your Actual Research
Your assessment is based on a review of your actual research materials and analytical requirements, not a generic project category.
You Submit Your Project Details
Share whatever is available at the current stage, such as the research aim, protocol or proposal, dataset, variable list, manuscript or statistical requirements.
We Review Your Research and Define the Scope
Your statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the materials to understand the study design, research questions, data structure, analytical requirements and expected deliverables. If clarification is needed, additional documents or information can be requested before the assessment is finalized.
Your Analysis Is Completed and Delivered
Once the scope and fixed project fee are agreed, the in-house statistician completes the work and the Research Coordinator remains the communication point through delivery, with the analysis, deliverables and timeline as agreed.
RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITY
Advice That Informs, Not Decides
A consultation recommends how to analyze the study, and the research question and the choice to act on the advice stay with the people who own the project.
Agreed Statistical Support OnlineSPSS provides the agreed methodological, analytical and statistical reporting support, defined in a scope that is confirmed before any work begins.
No Intellectual Contribution OnlineSPSS does not claim any intellectual contribution to your research. Authorship of the report, thesis or article remains yours.
Your Research Decisions The research question, the choice among the analyses proposed, the interpretation of the findings and the conclusions remain yours, with overall responsibility.
Confidential Handling Research data and project details are handled confidentially, project information is not published, and an NDA is available where required.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Before Booking a Statistical Consultation
A consultation can overturn a planned method or leave two good options standing, and it is a different piece of work from the analysis that may follow.
What does a statistical analysis consultation include?
A statistical analysis scope review at OnlineSPSS, delivered as a consultation, includes a review of the research question, the design, the variables and the data, followed by a recommended analysis and a scope with deliverables and a fixed project fee. It can be used on its own or as the first step of an analysis that you then decide to commission.
What if the consultation finds that the planned analysis does not fit?
The mismatch is described with its cause, such as clustered observations analyzed as if independent, and an analysis that fits the design is proposed with what it would change. Where data are still to be collected, a change to the design may be the better remedy. Whether to change course is your decision, and the reasons are recorded either way.
How does a consultation differ from the analysis itself?
The consultation settles what should be done and why, which fixes the analysis scope before commissioning, and the analysis carries it out. The first produces a recommendation, a map from each question to a method and a scope, and the second produces the estimates, tables and files. Both are confirmed in the assessment, with the deliverables and the fee, before work begins.
What if two analyses both seem defensible?
Both are set out with what each assumes and what each would estimate, and the review notes which one better matches the design and the audience, for example a mixed model against a simpler analysis of averaged scores. One is named as primary before the data are analyzed, and the other can be reported as a check on it. The choice remains yours.
How do you protect my research data and confidentiality?
Your data and project details are handled confidentially, and project information is not published. Researcher names and institutions are not used publicly without permission. An NDA is available where required and can be arranged before sensitive materials are shared. Read more about confidentiality and data security.
What happens when I request an assessment, and how long does it take?
You share your research question, design and relevant materials, such as a protocol, a variable list or a dataset, and a statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the request and responds the same day. The analysis, deliverables, timeline and one fixed project fee are then confirmed before any work begins, so the timeline follows from the agreed scope.
Still have a question? Find more answers in our full FAQ.
NEXT STEP
A Method Matched
to Your Design
Most mismatches between a method and a study come from how the observations were gathered, and a consultation brings them to light while the analysis plan can still change.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
Fixed Project Fee
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Same-Day Response
Serving Researchers Since 2014