Final Project

Final Project

Due December 15, 6 pm

Hard copy (and an updated Project Description if revised from Assignment 7) handed to Prof. Kahn, put under Prof. Kahn’s door (518C) or in Prof. Kahn’s mailbox (531)

On-line copy of Final Project posted on Questrom Tools →Final Project file by that time

Re-post your final dataset at https://tinyurl.com/qm222a1 (with your name in the file name) if changed

 Your project should use regression and any other relevant statistics to answer a question of your choice, whose answer will be useful to your client.  The regression(s) will be measuring relationships between variables in order to answer the question. Your topic must be approved by Prof. Kahn.

Your final project should be written in the form of a report to a client who would be interested in knowing your results.  The client can be one or more people at a company, governmental unit, or other organization.

The final project should include a 1 page executive summary* and an 8-20 page report (including tables or graphs.) More is not better.  You don’t need 20 pages to get an A, but you do need a well-written motivation, data description, and appropriate statistical analyasis where the answer to the question is developed and elaborated on.

You will also need to include at least one graph created by Excel.

Please either single space these pages or use 1.15 line spacing, with spaces between paragraphs.

You will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Does your project use statistics, including (but not limited to) multiple regression, that are most appropriate to answer your question? Does it demonstrate a deep understanding of the statistics taught in the course?
  • Is your data set appropriate to answering the question? Have you made mistakes in handling missing data, generating variables, or interpreting coefficients?
  • Does the writing develop the ideas in logical order and clearly?
  • If I were the client, would I feel that this project answered a question I am interested in?
  • Can an executive who knows little statistics understand what you did and what you found from reading the executive summary?
  • Does your report either control for and/or discuss possible biases e.g. due to confounding factors?
  • Are regressions presented in an easy-to-read table?
  • Are the graphics you use appropriate and clearly convey information to the reader?
  • Is the report well-written? Are there English and spelling mistakes?
  • Does the report look professional?

*An executive summary summarizes the project, telling an executive what the project is about, why it is useful for them, a very brief description of the data source and methods used, and the main conclusions. The project itself should start on a new page, with the title of the project on top, and should assume that the reader has not read the executive summary.  You should write the executive summary AFTER you finish the project. You will probably repeat some sentences in the project and the executive summary.

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