Statistical Consulting Centre FAQs

Who does the Statistical Consulting Centre (SCC) serve?

Our priority is to support the University of Auckland staff and doctoral students, and increase research outputs across the University. As a paid consulting service, we also collaborate with academia outside of the University, and provide professional statistical consulting to external clients, often businesses or district health boards.

Is the service available to students of other universities?

Unfortunately, no – we cannot help students except for University of Auckland doctoral students.

You encourage people to get in touch with SCC early in their research. What is the benefit of this?

Early engagement with a statistician can help you make the best decisions about study design and methodology, which leads to better research outcomes. This is especially important if you are seeking research grants; it can be advantageous to have qualified statisticians on board and support your grant applications.

How much do you charge?

We offer paid statistical services to all clients. A range of fees apply and are influenced by the complexity of the work, the seniority of the consultant and whether you are an internal or external client – staff and students of the University of Auckland are entitled to subsidies. Your consultant will discuss costs with you at the first meeting.

Do I have to pay upfront?

Progress payments can be made regularly over the contract period. Full payment to be made within one month of project completion.

How do I book a meeting with a consultant?

You can email us at consulting@stat.auckland.ac.nz or fill in a Client Information Sheet (CIS) online and click the 'Submit request' button at the bottom – we’ll then be in touch as soon as possible. Your consultant will provide you with a proposal of the statistical work required for your project, including an estimate of the time required and the cost.

Why don’t you do consulting by email?

We find that statistical problems with real data are always more complicated than first thought, and we believe that face-to-face meetings (or video conferencing, if necessary) are far more productive and avoid unnecessary miscommunication.

What statistical test should I use?

Statistical tests are not just p-values. We advise you to discuss this with your consultant to determine the most effective method to display and analyse your data. It would be wise to talk to a statistician before you collect any data.

How do you prefer to receive data?

It depends on the project agreement how the data should be released. In most scenarios, the data can be saved in Excel spreadsheets with passwords protected. Ensuring the data is as complete, clean, and consistent as possible will make data analysis more accurate and efficient. It will also reduce the number of hours required by the consultant before any analysis can be performed.

What about intellectual copyright issues?

The Statistical Consulting Centre (SCC) shall retain intellectual copyright in all drawings, specifications and other documents prepared by the consultants. You are entitled to use them or copy them only for the agreed services and the purpose for which they are intended.

The ownership of data and factual information collected by the consultant performing and paid for by you shall, after payment, lie with yourself. You may reproduce drawings, specifications and other documents in which the consultant has copyright, as reasonably required in connection with the project but not otherwise.

You shall have no right to use any of these documents where any or all of the fees and expenses remain payable to the SCC.

I need to brush up my statistical skills. Can you offer tailored workshops for my research group/team or one-on-one tutorials?

Yes, we can. Please get in touch with us at consulting@stat.auckland.ac.nz.