Northern Illinois University
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Short-Term Statistical Analyses

For students, researchers, faculty and administrators at NIU, we provide advice and assistance with short-term statistical analyses. This includes help with designing experiments, clinical trials, observational studies and surveys, as well as analyzing data and interpreting the results. You are especially encouraged to contact us early in your research, preferably at the design stage. The time typically required to complete a project varies from a few hours to several weeks.

Long-Term Collaborative Research

We seek to promote cross-disciplinary relationships and collaborative research between the faculty within the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science and their counterparts working in other disciplines throughout the university. If you are engaged in a project that is suitable for collaborative research, please contact the director of the SCS at statconsult@niu.edu.

Assistance in Preparation of Research Grant Proposals

We invite researchers preparing grant proposals to include statistical consulting and data analyses as items in research plans and budgets. The director of the SCS is available for help in preparing budget estimates and for advice in writing statistical sections of research proposals.

If you are seeking our advice on designs and analyses of your study, please bring the following:

• An abstract of your proposal and/or a clear statement of purpose for your project.
• A list of research questions you want to answer.
• Copies of relevant articles and earlier work on similar topics in your discipline.

If you are seeking our advice on data analyses or report writing after gathering your data, please bring the following in addition to the items above:

• A copy of the experimental protocol.
• A sample datasheet.
• An electronic copy of the complete data set (Microsoft Excel format is acceptable).
• Results of any preliminary analyses performed.

At this point, our resources permit us to perform data analyses using SAS, SPSS and R programming environments. We can also advise clients should they choose to perform their own statistical analyses using alternative software.

Initial Meeting

For the first meeting between clients and our SCS consultants, we charge a nominal $25 fee for NIU students and $50 for all others.

Extended Services

Clients are charged hourly fees for services beyond the first meeting. Our current fee schedule is as follows:

• Individual clients or clients from private entities are charged $55 per hour for work done by Ph.D. student consultants and $145 per hour for work done by the director.
• Clients from NIU, government or non-profit entities are charged $45 per hour for work done by Ph.D. student consultants and $120 per hour for work done by the director.
• Clients who are NIU students are charged $30 per hour.

Sponsored Research

Clients who engage in sponsored research are encouraged to include statistical consulting in their proposals. This can take the form of a direct-cost line item, a partial or full graduate assistantship, or partial funding of a faculty member.

Collaboration

If the project calls for a standard statistical design and analyses, then co-authorship with us is usually not appropriate. If the project involves nonstandard statistical techniques, then co-authorship is encouraged.