Inferential statistics and librarianship

This study examines the extent to which inferential statistics were used in research articles published between 2001 and 2005 in professional journals that academic and public librarians are most likely to read. It also explores the kinds of inferential statistics most commonly used, and whether academic and public librarians authored research articles using inferential statistics. Compared with the findings of studies conducted in the 1970s and the 1980s, there is an increase in the use of inferential statistics in articles appearing in professional journals read by academic and public librarians. These results suggest that educators who believe that learning about inferential statistics should become an important component of every librarian's education may be correct, especially because the evolving nature of librarianship has placed new emphasis on performance measures, outcomes assessment, and evidence-based decision making, which often rely on sophisticated analyses of quantitative data. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.