A call for contributions on Covid-19: looking back and looking forward
We are now more than 18 months into the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to the contributions…
Brian TarranSeptember 29, 2021
Misinterpreting statistical anomalies and risk assessment when analysing Covid-19 deaths by ethnicity
Bigstockphoto/Andreajk3Imagine there is a country called Bayesland that is divided into two distinct geographical areas…
Leicester makes history in testing times
Photo by Geoffrey HaywardLeicester made demographic history as the first city in England where the…
Sheila M. BirdJuly 23, 2020
Removing the pump handle: Stewarding data at times of public health emergency
John Snow memorial in Broadwick Street, London. Photo by Justinc, sourced from WikipediaThere is a…
Reema PatelMay 20, 2020
To infer or not to infer: the UK’s inadequate public disclosure of Covid-19 swab test results
The World Health Organization asks governments to consider two questions when carrying out risk assessments…
Sheila M. BirdMay 5, 2020
Now more than ever, African governments need reliable data
Community surveillance in times of Covid-19: A TB Reach health worker in Tanzania visits a…
Sandra Alba, Christina Mergenthaler and Roland KielmanApril 30, 2020
Visualising the pandemic: interviews with data journalists covering Covid-19
Photo by Brian McGowan on UnsplashIn many parts of the world, the outcome of the…
Andrew GarthwaiteApril 21, 2020
You can trust the polls in 2018, if you read them carefully
On the morning of 8 November 2016, many Americans went to bed confident that Hillary…
Josh Pasek and Michael TraugottSeptember 27, 2018
Facebook data harvesting: what you need to know
Facebook makes most of its money from advertising, and – as the Cambridge Analytica scandal…
Gráinne Maedhbh Nic LochlainnApril 5, 2018
Graphical interpretations of data: An introduction
This is the first of a series of articles on the design of simple graphs…
Allan ReeseAugust 22, 2017
What is the most popular birthday in England and Wales?
The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently published an analysis of live births from…
Mario Cortina Borja and Peter MartinMarch 3, 2017
Closing the communications gap
Professor Dame Anne Glover has spent her entire career generating scientific knowledge; knowledge that has,…
Brian TarranSeptember 9, 2016
Making maps
In an extract from her book, Big Data: Does Size Matter?, Timandra Harkness meets data-based…
Timandra HarknessAugust 16, 2016
Yes, the polls were wrong. But it is time we understood their limitations
“General election polls in 2015 ‘the most inaccurate’,” said the BBC. “Polling shake-up planned after…
Brian TarranApril 5, 2016
Voodoo polls are bad news: here’s how to spot and stop them
"Over a third of students ‘no longer wish to study medicine’ amid the junior doctors’…
Robert FordJanuary 20, 2016
Are we accepting austerity?
When the government says times are tough and cuts have to be made, we expect…
Naomi JonesJuly 20, 2015
DWTS voting system needs a makeover
On October 14, Christina Milian stood under the spotlight with the threat of elimination during…
Stephanie KovalchikNovember 14, 2013
Migration statistics: ‘Unfit for purpose’?
Official UK migration figures have been denounced. They are "little better than a best guess",…
Julian ChampkinJuly 29, 2013
Does RIOT foretell the end of privacy?
As Valentine's Day nears, those of us who still have an empty dance card for…
Stephanie KovalchikFebruary 13, 2013
Rape more common than smoking in the US
The United States is experiencing an epidemic of sexual violence. New findings from the National…
Stephanie KovalchikJanuary 6, 2012
