Writing a research paper is not easy on its own. The given assignment takes a lot of time, effort, and skills. However, with some practice, most students understand the essence of the task at hand. Writing becomes not as hard as it used to be during your first years. Still, there are some tasks within the writing process that can confuse and slow down your work. Things like putting statistics in your text.
Indeed, most research papers involve the use of data and statistics. This step can provide more insight on the topic and enhance your arguments. Yet, it’s also one of the hardest parts to implement into your text. Without much experience in this area students tend to make many awkwards mistakes. So here is a brief guide on how to put statistics in a research paper. Use it wisely.
What Does Statistics Mean in Writing?
Before going in great detail on how to apply data in papers, let’s learn what it means for the work. So, in general, statistics deals with collection, categorization, and explanation of the numerical data. Thus, it provides valuable unbiased information expressed solely in numbers. The received information can help review and analyze the issues it explains. It helps to form full understanding on the issues and make conclusions based on the received information. In writing, students often use it to make a point and explain their need for their research. The numerical data can demonstrate the gravity of the problem and help seek solutions. So, let’s see how to write a statistics paper.
How to Write a Statistics Paper?
First of all, you should follow the same rules as writing any other research paper. Hence, it means that you should have a traditional five-paragraph structure. You should start with a short introduction that explains the purpose of your writing. It should also have a thesis statement that explains the goal you are trying to achieve with your work.
Next, move on to the main body. Here, you should include all the sources and data that you have found in your research. Don’t forget to offer your explanation and interpretation of those resources. Additionally, you can offer a statistical analysis of the issues at hand. Now, here is where we should pay most of our attention.
A statistical essay is always based on the analysis of the data. An author should construct their work based on the explanation or analysis of the included data. Thus, the numerical data play the role of the key points in their entire research. Everything that goes from there should always return to the data offered somewhere at the beginning of the main body. Learning how to apply such data in your paper is a skill that takes time to master. However, you can still learn a few tips right now.
In the end, you should end with a conclusion. A conclusion should briefly restate the main points you have made during the text. It should recall the explanation you made regarding the offered data and its connection to the topic of your work. Finish off by answering your thesis statement set at the beginning of your work. 
How Do You Apply Statistics in Research?
A student must learn how to deliver their statistical analysis to the readers. As a writer, you need to make your text easy to understand for anyone regardless of their field of study. Since data (more or less any data) is often the hardest part to grasp in any research, you should try twice as hard to communicate it. Still, applying this data with ease is more than possible as long as you follow a few basic rules. Here they are:
- collect the data;
- identify the variables;
- state your hypothesis;
- use descriptive statistics;
- put your first table or graphs.
Now, let’s have a closer look at those steps. First, of course, you need to find the numerical data in order to write about it. Reliable databases, such as open government sources or scholar surveys, should be your prior choices here. Next, you should explain each category of numbers that you are using in your work. Explain what they are and why they matter. Last but not least, try to have some visuals when delivering your data. This way, your readers will better understand all the numbers you are trying to explain. After all, learning how to read statistics in a research paper is as important as writing it. So you need to make it easy for your readers.
The Bottom Line
Writing a numerical data paper can be a bit of work, though it will all be worth it in the end. Such assignments teach you to look for reliable sources and critically assess your findings.
Overall, your main goal here is to provide your readers with clear and unbiased information on the issues you discuss. Your data should serve you as the foundation for the further narrative. You should not strive to explain the topic with the data. Only use it to assist you in the future explanation of the topic.