Field Guide to Statistical Consulting for the Social Sciences at UW
by Mary Evans (December 2003)
Free Consulting ................................................................................................................................... 1
Center for Social Science Computation and Research (CSSCR) ................................................... 1
Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, Statistical Consulting (CSSS) ................................. 1
Statistical Consulting Services (SCS) ............................................................................................. 2
Fee-Based Consulting ......................................................................................................................... 3
Center for Statistical Consulting ..................................................................................................... 3
Free Consulting
Center for Social Science Computation and Research (CSSCR)
(http://julius.csscr.washington.edu/)
The Center for Social Science Computation and Research is a Multi-college computer support
organization. We were formed in 1972 as an alternative to the existing central computing
organization. CSSCR is a discipline specific computing center serving eleven member departments
in four Colleges. We serve all students, faculty and staff of the UW.




We are located in the basement of Savery Hall in rooms 135,137,139,141,143,145,147 and
149.
General consulting questions are handled by our staff at csscr@u.washington.edu.
For more information about any aspect of CSSCR, mail Fred Nick at
fred@u.washington.edu.
Our phone number is 206-543-8110 and our fax number is 206-543-8670
Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, Statistical Consulting (CSSS)
(http://www.csss.washington.edu/Consulting/)
The center provides statistical consulting to researchers in affiliated departments. Statistical
services available to faculty and students include:
 assistance with study planning and design
 review of the analysis section of proposals and reports
 advice on data visualization and presentation
 assistance with the choice and application of statistical methods
 development of specialized statistical methods
Please note that the consulting service does not generally provide statistical software support nor
does it implement computer analyses. Assistance with statistical software packages (such as SAS,
SPSS, BMDP) may be obtained from CSSCR.
The CSSS Consulting RA is available by appointment or on a "walk in basis" during the office
hours listed below:
CSSS Consulting Office: 106 C Savery
Office Hours: Mondays 1pm-2pm, Tuesdays 12pm-3pm, Fridays 9am-11am
To schedule an appointment please send an email to: csss-consult@stat.washington.edu
Scheduling an appointment is recommended for more involved statistical consulting, or questions
of a highly technical nature. Please include a description of your research with any email.
Alternatively, you can submit a Problem Description Form before your scheduled appointment.
Statistical Consulting Services (SCS)
Departments of Biostatistics and Statistics
(http://www.stat.washington.edu/consulting/)
Dept of Statistics, Box 354322
B-313 Padelford Hall
ph: 206-543-0403, fax: 206-685-7419
email: cheryl@stat.washington.edu
Faculty and graduate students in the Consulting Programs of the Departments of Biostatistics and
Statistics offer consultation and advice to University researchers engaged in:




the design of studies and experiments, including the preparation of grant proposals,
the statistical and graphical analysis of data,
the choice, application, and reporting of probabilistic and statistical methods, and
statistical review of research papers.
Free advice to faculty, staff, and students is provided through scheduled one hour consulting
appointments. Inquiries are welcome at any time during a study, but involving a consultant during
the planning stage(s) is recommended.
Hands-on assistance with data analysis is not generally available without funding. Fee-based
collaborative consulting, including data analysis and written reports, can now be obtained through
the Center for Statistical Consulting.
This free statistical consulting service does not generally address problems concerning the use of
particular statistical packages (such as SAS, SPSS, BMDP, and the many programs for personal
computers), but statistical package consulting can be obtained on campus from Other Consulting
Services.
To schedule an appointment, call either the Dept of Biostatistics, 206-543-1044 (School of Public
Health and Community Medicine), or the Dept of Statistics, 206-543-0403 (College of Arts and
Sciences). Researchers in the Health Sciences should find it most convenient to call the Dept of
Biostatistics while researchers elsewhere should first call the Dept of Statistics. (If convenient
appointment hours are not available in one department, clients may be referred to the other.) You
may request an appointment by ordinary mail, email (click on one of the email addresses below), or
fax. Prior to the appointment we require that you return to us a problem description form which we
will send you.
Fee-Based Consulting
Center for Statistical Consulting
(http://www.stat.washington.edu/consulting/csc.html)
Dept of Statistics, Box 354322
B-313 Padelford Hall
ph: 206-543-0403, fax: 206-685-7419
email: pds@stat.washington.edu
The Center for Statistical Consulting is a University of Washington-approved ”cost center” located
administratively in the Department of Statistics. The CSC was set up to provide some of the more
in-depth collaborative consultation that cannot be provided through the free consulting services of
the Departments of Biostatistics and Statistics. The Center can provide, for example, direct
assistance in carrying out data analyses and report writing. Clients may be referred to the CSC from
a regularly scheduled free consulting appointment. The CSC accepts projects from clients or
researchers at the University of Washington and off-campus. Collaborative consulting and
assistance with data analysis through the CSC requires funding for the statistical consultant on an
hourly basis. Rates differ for work carried out by faculty versus graduate student consultants and
for University of Washington and non-University of Washington clients. To discuss a potential
project for the CSC you may call or email Prof Paul D. Sampson (pds@stat.washington.edu) at 52664.