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Title

Assessing the Reliability of Statistical Software: Part I
Author

B. McCullough
Journal / Anthology

The American Statistician
Year: 1998
Volume: 52
Issue: 4
Page range: 358-366
Description

Entry-level tests of the accuracy of statistical software, such as Wilkinson's Statistics Quiz, have long been available, but more advanced collections of tests have not. This article proposes a set of intermediate-level tests focusing on three areas: estimation, both linear and nonlinear; random number generation; and statistical distributions (e.g., for calculating p-values). The complete methodology is described in detail. Convenient methods for summarizing the results are presented, so that an assessment of numerical accuracy can easily be incorporated into a software review.
Subject

*Mathematics > Probability and Statistics