Quick Graphical Power-Law Transformation Selection

A graphical method for selecting a symmetrizing power-law transformation is presented. The nonparametric procedure is simple, fast, and sufficiently precise for many practical purposes. It deals effectively with outliers, avoids the use of approximations, and provides a graphical perspective on different approaches to symmetrizing data. The method is suitable for exploratory data analysis, with its emphasis on rapid and instructive examination of data sets.