Te Ara Tatauranga - Statistics Consulting
Te Ara Tatauranga offers expert statistical and mathematical consulting for Waikato staff, students, and external clients. We cover design, analysis, ethics, and modelling.
Te Ara Tatauranga - The Statistics Consulting Group at the University of Waikato operates as part of the School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences.
If you would like statistical assistance, submit a request.
Services provided
Our team consists of experts in statistics, biostatistics, data science, and mathematical modelling. We provide high-quality support and advice on a variety of statistical and data related aspects. Our services include but are not limited to:
Study design
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Advice on the design of experimental studies, including clinical trials.
- Advice on the design of observational studies.
- Sample size and power calculation.
Data analysis
- Data cleaning and linkage.
- Data analysis using standard and advanced statistical and machine learning methods.
- Health/Biomedical data analysis using standard and advanced biostatistical methods. Examples include but are not limited to: longitudinal/hierarchical data analysis, time-to-event (survival) data analysis, joint modelling of longitudinal and time-to-event data, complex survey data analysis, and multivariate analysis.
- Data visualisation.
Statistical advice and review
- Review of statistical analysis plans, statistical methodology, and statistical outputs.
- Manuscript preparation and review.
- Advice on data ethics and Māori data sovereignty.
- Assistance with statistical software and programming.
- Authorship policy applies; read the guidelines.
Mathematical consulting
- Mathematical modelling
- Numerical and computational methods
Rates
Internal support for students and staff
University of Waikato postgraduate students are offered a free initial consultation. For any additional support, standard hourly rates, as agreed upon by most schools, will apply. Our support includes, but is not limited to, statistical programming assistance, statistical analysis, manuscript writing, and manuscript review. Authorship policy applies; read the guidelines.
External support for consultancy work
For projects external to the University, standard University of Waikato external consultancy fees will be charged. The consultant will provide a cost estimate and agreement before any work begins.
Appointments and enquiries
Submit a request to make an initial appointment.
For any other enquiries, please email statsconsulting@waikato.ac.nz, and we will respond as soon as we can.
Authorship guidelines
Te Ara Tatauranga at the University of Waikato adheres to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, which describes an author as an individual who has made a significant intellectual or scholarly contribution to research and its output, which must include one and should include a combination of two or more of the following:
- conception and design of the project or output
- acquisition of research data where the acquisition has required significant intellectual judgement,
planning, design, or input - contribution of knowledge, where justified, including Indigenous knowledge
- analysis or interpretation of research data
- drafting significant parts of the research output or critically revising it so as to contribute to its interpretation.
Researchers planning to submit a manuscript, abstract, or other authored work, who have benefited from a statistical consultation, should consider whether the statistician has met one or more of the above requirements. Examples of ways they could meet these criteria include at least one of the following:
- They made substantial contributions in the development of the design or analysis plan
- They recommended significant changes to a previous design or analysis plan that were followed.
- They provided significant material support in analysis, e.g. writing example R code, or actually undertaking parts of the analysis.
As for any collaborator, whether or not the statistician was paid for their services should not be a consideration when assessing authorship, nor should the length of time they dedicated to the problem. The key point is whether there was a substantial intellectual contribution to design, analysis or interpretation. Providing feedback on pre-existing plans, or providing general suggestions without significant material support, would typically not warrant co-authorship, but should be acknowledged in publications (pending approval from the statistician).
An author must agree to be listed as an author. The Vancouver protocol on co-authorship further states that a co-author should satisfy the following criteria:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or
interpretation of data for the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND - Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; AND
- Final approval of the version to be published; AND
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Thus, in cases where co-authorship is warranted, the consultant (and all co-authors) should be consulted in the write-up process, and should give final approval prior to submission.
If you have any questions or feedback about this policy, feel free to discuss them with your consultant or email Te Ara Tatauranga at statsconsulting@waikato.ac.nz.
Related resources
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors statement on authorship (“the Vancouver protocol”)
- The Australian Code For The Responsible Conduct Of Research 2018 (Authorship guide)
- The Statistical Society of Australia Statement on co-authorship when consulting with a statistician
The team
The team is made up of statistical and mathematical consultants. Based upon your project needs you will be matched with the most appropriate team member. All members of the team will be suitable for most projects.
Statistical Consultants
Senior Lecturer, Programme Lead Data Analytics
Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer in Statistical Consulting
Teaching Fellow, Data Analytics
Mathematical Consultants
Deputy Head of School, Associate Professor
Teaching Fellow
Professor, Programme Lead