Scope of Work

For each research project, the initial consultation will consist of 1-2 meetings, and our involvement in the project will be determined at that time. We provide statistical support at all stages of a research project. The following list provides typical services provided to researchers.

  1. Study Design
    • Review the research protocol to make sure that the aims and hypotheses are feasible from a biostatistical point of view and the proposed outcome measures are appropriate in addressing the specific aims.
    • Participate in the identification of a proper experimental design.
    • Determine the sample size and perform power analysis.
    • Develop a monitoring plan(interim analysis schedule, stopping rule for toxicity, etc.).
    • Develop a statistical analysis plan.
    • Develop and implement a randomization procedure.
    • Advise on database design.
    • Review the data collection forms.
    • For grant proposals, IRB submissions or Scholarly Project prospectuses, draft the sections on statistical considerations outlined above.
  2. Study Conduct
    • Provide advice on data management, as needed.
    • Participate in the routine monitoring (review of data quality reports, consultation on implementation of stopping rule, etc.), as needed.
    • Perform interim analysis as required by the study protocol or the data safety monitoring board (DSMB).
  3. After Completion of Study Follow-up/Data Collection
  4. Conduct statistical analysis.
  5. Work with the study team to interpret results.
  6. Participate in the preparation of manuscripts and/or abstracts by drafting the statistical methods section and the results section (including tables and figures) and by reviewing other sections to make sure the analysis results are appropriately interpreted.

Software Support

  • We provide assistance with the following statistical software packages: R, SAS, SPSS, Stata and Stat/Transfer.
  • Stata is the recommended software package for the Scholarly Project Program and is available on 10 computers in the Arizona Health Sciences Library located on the 3rd floor of the Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB; 435 N 5th St, Phoenix, AZ 85004); SAS and SPSS are also available on certain computers in the library.