Biostatistics

Biostatistics applies statistical methods to questions in biology, medicine, public health, and related life sciences. It supports the design of studies and the analysis and interpretation of biological data.

Randomized controlled trial: An experiment that assigns participants to interventions by chance to estimate their effects. Random assignment helps biostatisticians separate treatment effects from confounding.
Clinical trial: A research study in which people receive health-related interventions under a planned protocol. Biostatistics determines trial size, randomization, analysis plans, and effect estimates.
Probability theory: The mathematical study of random events and the likelihoods assigned to them. Biostatistical models use probability to represent biological variation and uncertainty.
Observational study: A study that records exposures and outcomes without assigning participants to interventions. Unlike randomized trials, it cannot rely on assignment to balance confounding factors.
Evidence-based medicine: Clinical practice that integrates research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. Biostatistical appraisal helps determine how strongly research findings support clinical choices.
Survival analysis: Statistical methods for analyzing time until an event, including when observations are censored. It handles follow-up data where event times may be unknown or incomplete.
Epidemiology: The study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations. Population health questions provide a major setting for biostatistical analysis.
Sampling distribution: The probability distribution of a statistic across repeated samples from a population. It underlies standard errors, confidence intervals, and many tests used in life sciences.
Frequentist statistics: An approach that evaluates procedures by their long-run behavior under repeated sampling. It contrasts with Bayesian inference in how uncertainty and prior information are represented.
Publication bias: Systematic distortion of the published literature when study results affect whether or how findings appear. Selective publication can skew pooled evidence and clinical conclusions.

Linked from 8 pages