Statistical techniques employed in AERJ and JCP articles from 1988 to 1997: A methodological review

The authors of the present methodological review investigated the patterns of statistical usage and reporting practices in 756 articles published in t he American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) and in the Journal of Couns eling Psychology (JCP) over a 10-year period. First, some findings from oth er similar reviews are summarized. Second, the authors present a framework for characterizing selected research practices that emphasizes, in part, el ements of the recent report of the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Statistical Inference (Wilkinson & APA Task Force on Statist ical Inference, 1999). Third, characterizations of 10 years of analytic pra ctices in 2 journals are presented and evaluated within that framework. The article concludes with a discussion of the changes that may be necessary t o improve the statistical state of affairs in behavioral research.