Department of Pediatrics
Process for Requesting Statistical Services
Due to the large demand for statistical services, requests are being prioritized as follows in
order to ensure service provision contributes to measurable outcomes for the Department of
Pediatrics:
1) Consultation and analyses related to grant preparation;
2) Analysis of data from funded research for preparation of manuscripts/abstracts;
3) Assistance with unfunded projects
All requests require initial consultation with Dr. Thabane. Prior to meeting with him,
please provide the information outlined in the following pages, based on the nature of
service you require. If your request is neither related to grant nor manuscript preparation,
please complete the information to the best of your ability given the stage of your project.
Should the request involve data analysis, Dr. Thabane will assign an analyst and set the
priority. As always, Faculty members must attend all consultations with their trainees.
Questions?
Lindsay Akrong
Research Services Specialist
x 75821 lakrong@mcmaster.ca
Meetings made by prior appointment with Dr. Thabane will be held in room HSC 3A72 on
Thursdays ONLY. Emmy Cheng will be available in 3A72 on Mondays.
Department of Pediatrics
Service Request Form
Instructions
1. Complete Statistical Services Request Form. ALL fields must be complete for your request to be processed.
2. Consultation with Dr. Thabane: E-mail (no phone calls, please) your Request Form to Rosemary Oliveira
(rolivei@mcmaster.ca and lakrong@mcmaster.ca). Rosemary will respond with your appointment date/time.
3. Bring a hard copy of this Request Form, with appointment date and time recorded, to your appointment. Faculty
must attend appointment with trainees.
Faculty Information
Faculty Member Name:
Division:
If related to trainee research project:
Name of Trainee:
Trainee Program:
Statistical Services
Is your research
funded
Do you require service for
or
unfunded
grant preparation
REB preparation
manuscript/abstract preparation
Other (explain):
Please check off the service(s) you require and complete as much of the information on the following pages as
possible
Study design consult
Sample size calculation
Data collection protocol
Database set-up
Data verification and data entry
Data analysis by analyst
Review REB application for statistics plan
Instruction in use of statistical software
Interpretation of results
Compiling statistics section of grant
applications or manuscripts for publication
Generation of figures/tables (for
presentations/manuscripts)
Other (please explain):
OFFICE USE ONLY
Date Request Received:
Date of Appointment:
Service completed at this appointment
Service ongoing
Summary of services provided
Signature of Statistician/Analyst:
Date:
Meetings made by prior appointment with Dr. Thabane will be held in room HSC 3A72 on
Thursdays ONLY. Emmy Cheng will be available in 3A72 on Mondays.
Department of Pediatrics
A. Consultation and analyses for GRANT application
TITLE of PROJECT:
PI:
FUNDING AGENCY:
DATE for SUBMISSION:
For the items below provide a written summary:
1. Rationale (brief – 1-2 paragraphs)
2. Objectives and Hypotheses
3. Study design including inclusion and exclusion criteria
4. Primary and secondary outcomes
5. Outcome measures
6. Base (control) rate for the primary outcome, mean, standard deviation, anticipated magnitude of effect
B. Statistical analysis plan for MANUSCRIPT or ABSTRACT preparation
TITLE of PROJECT:
SENIOR AUTHOR:
FUNDING SOURCE for study:
INTENDED JOURNAL(S) or MEETING for ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:
DATE for SUBMISSION (if applicable):
Project Information
For the items below provide a written summary:
1. Rationale (brief – 1-2 paragraphs)
2. Objectives and Hypothesis
3. Study design including inclusion and exclusion criteria
4. Description of group(s) studied with sample sizes
5. Primary and secondary outcomes
6. Variable measurements
7. Definition of groups for analysis – such as shown to the right
Statistical Analysis Plan
Total # subjects screened
# excluded
# who met inclusion criteria
# who did not
complete study
# who completed part of study
# who completed full protocol
Provide as much information as you can for the following and create mock tables or figures to demonstrate how you plan
to present the data in the paper/abstract /poster. The attached Tables are provided as examples.
1. Variable definition table (see Table 1 for example): Create a table that shows each of the measurements, whether
they need to be calculated from the data set, and whether or not they are categorical (if so then how they are to be
categorized)
2. Descriptive Statistics (see Table 2): Provide measures for which you wish to have descriptive statistics to describe
study group characteristics and/or demographics and provide a sample tables. Indicate any sub-group analysis to be
done.
3. Univariate and or multivariate regression analysis (see example Table 3): If you plan to do univariate regression
analysis then provide the dependent variable(s) and a list of all variables to be tested.
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Department of Pediatrics
Table Examples
Table 1: Variable Definition Table (Cat* = categorical variable)
Marital Status
Variable
None
Calculation
Units
Cat*
Ethnicity
None
Cat*
Drink of alcoholic beverage
Cat*
Past month, > 5 drinks/day
Smoking
None
None
Cat*
Cat*
Education
Household income
None
None
Yr
Cat*
Physical activity - How active during
leisure time?
Mainly sedentary = 0
Mild exercise = 1
Moderate exercise = 2
Strenuous exercise = 3
Cat*
Height
Weight
Birth date
Date of visit
Age
None
None
=(date of visit) – (birth date)
Categories
Currently married
Not married
Hispanic
South Asian
East/S-E Asian
African
Aboriginal
European
Other
Don’t Know
Never, or < 1 drink/mo
Once a month
Once a week
Between 4 and 6 times a week
Everyday
Yes/No
Currently
Formerly
Never
$ 0-50,000
≥50,000
0
1
2
3
m
kg
Yr
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Department of Pediatrics
Table 2: Demographic characteristics of subjects by treatment group (Values are median (IQR))
Group A
N (%)
Group B
N (%)
Group C
N (%)
Total\Sample
N (%)
Characteristics
Age (yr)
Ethnicity (% subjects)
European
Hispanic
South Asian
Aboriginal
Other
Not known
Smoking history, n (%)
Never smoked
Former smoker
Smoked in last year (or at least in part)
Education (# yr)
Household income
<50,000
>50,000
Marital status (%)
Married/cohabiting
Single
Table 3 – Univariate analysis for Variable X (*Adjusted for pre-study BMI)
Variables
Unadjusted
β (95% CI)
Pr > |t|
Adjusted*
β (95% CI)
Pr>[t]
Current age in pregnancy (yr)
Education (yr in school)
Ethnicity – European vs other
Income >=$50K vs <$50K
Total Physical Activity 2 vs 0
Total Physical Activity 3 vs 0
Total Physical Activity>=4 vs 0
Former Smoker vs Never
Current smoker vs Never
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