LibGuides: Fake News: Graphs & Statistics

The use of graphs and statistics can be helpful when summarizing data and information. As you can imagine, the way it is presented has a profound impact on decision-making and how people are informed.

Misleading graphs and statistics can omit relevant information or even distort and manipulate data to their advantage.

The two common forms are:

Cherry picking
- Selecting only certain data points or timeframes to focus on
Simpson's Paradox
- An opposite trend can appear depending on how data sets are grouped

The videos on the right provide excellent tips and guidelines to keep in mind.

Books

How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff; Irving Geis
Call Number: HA 29 H82 (Scott Library)
ISBN: 9780393310726
Darrell Huff runs the gamut of every popularly used type of statistic, probes such things as the sample study, the tabulation method, the interview technique, or the way the results are derived from the figures, and points up the countless number of dodges which are used to fool rather than to inform.
Damned Lies and Statistics by Joel Best
Call Number: HM 535 B47 2001 (Scott Library)
ISBN: 0520219783
Startling statistics shape our thinking about social issues. But all too often, these numbers are wrong. This book is a lively guide to spotting bad statistics and learning to think critically about these influential numbers.
Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data by Joel Best
Call Number: HM 535 B477 2013 (Scott Library)
ISBN: 0520279980
Alarming statistics bombard our daily lives, appearing in the news, on the Web, seemingly everywhere. But all too often, even the most respected publications present numbers that are miscalculated, misinterpreted, hyped, or simply misleading. This book exposes questionable uses of statistics and guides the reader toward becoming a more critical, savvy consumer of news, information, and data.