Description:
Statistics and Probability in Forensic Anthropology provides a practical guide for forensic scientists, primarily anthropologists and pathologists, on how to design studies, how to choose and apply statistical approaches, and how to interpret statistical outcomes in the forensic practice. As with other forensic, medical and biological disciplines, statistics have become increasingly important in forensic anthropology and legal medicine, but there is not a single book, which specifically addresses the needs of forensic anthropologists in relation to the research undertaken in the field and the interpretation of research outcomes and case findings within the setting of legal proceedings.
The book includes the application of both frequentist and Bayesian statistics in relation to topics relevant for the research and the interpretation of findings in forensic anthropology, as well as general chapters on study design and statistical approaches addressing measurement errors and reliability. Scientific terminology understandable to students and advanced practitioners of forensic anthropology, pathology and related disciplines is used throughout. Additionally, Statistics and Probability in Forensic Anthropology facilitates sufficient understanding of the statistical procedures and data interpretation based on statistical outcomes and models, which helps the reader confidently present their work within the forensic context, either in the form of case reports for legal purposes or as research publications for the scientific community.
Brief description: Alistair Stewart was Senior Research Fellow in biostatistics at the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand until his retirement at the end of 2016. Alistair started work as a biostatistician in 1970 in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at the Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand. In 1975 he moved to the newly established Christchurch Clinical School (part of the Otago Medical School) and then in 1980 moved to the University of Auckland. His research covered a wide range of projects; NZ Cot Death Study (SIDS), MONICA (coronary heart disease), ISAAC (childhood asthma and allergies) and VIDA (randomised trial of vitamin D) were 4 of the more major projects. As a consultant biostatistician in Medical Schools he was involved in a very wide range of topics and has been co-author of about 250 published papers.