Annu Rev Public Health November 2002 PMID 11910059

The importance of the normality assumption in large public health data sets.

Thomas Lumley, Paula Diehr, Scott Emerson, Lu Chen

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Mentions

42
Peak: 9 in Jan 2023
across 4 sources since Nov 2019

Extended reach

148,515
potential audience

Total likes

327

Video views

7,733

Mentions per month

Nov 2019 – Jan 2025

Where it's discussed

  • X / Twitter35 posts
  • News4 articles
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Bluesky1 posts

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The discussions reflect a broad recognition that the article clarifies misconceptions about the normality assumption, exemplified by references to the robustness of the t-test and linear regression in large datasets. Participants use technical terminology and cite relevant literature, illustrating a deep understanding of statistical principles and emphasizing the article's potential to impact research methodology standards.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions acknowledge that the article corrects common misconceptions about the normality assumption, supporting agreement with its message.

InterestModerate interest

Participants show moderate interest by referencing related methods and statistical principles, indicating engagement but not deep focus on the publication's specifics.

EngagementHigh engagement

Several comments delve into statistical details, citing specific papers and theoretical frameworks, demonstrating a strong level of engagement.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions highlight the importance of understanding large-sample properties, suggesting the publication can influence statistical practices and education in public health research.

Abstract in brief

  • The article clarifies that while the t-test and linear regression are often thought to require normally distributed data, they are actually robust and valid in large samples regardless of the data's distribution.
  • It emphasizes that in large public health datasets, these methods are reliable because their validity stems from sample size rather than the normality of outcomes, as demonstrated through simulations with non-normal data.
  • The key point is that the choice of statistical method should be guided by the scientific question—specifically whether comparing means is relevant—rather than concerns about distributional assumptions.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Mason Fidino, PhD
@masonfidino · X

And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no further than here. https://t.co/BDJsGZttOP

Jan 27, 2023 · 151 likes · 10 shares · 1,878 followers View post →
Winston Lin
@linstonwin · X

@SolomonKurz I think other people gave good answers (exact inference with small n; asymptotic efficiency as n goes to infinity), so I'll just add that @tslumley et al have a helpful paper on the (un)importance of normality (in case no one's mentioned it) https://t.co/UNTVzkKY2x

Oct 3, 2023 · 38 likes · 4 shares · 733 followers View post →
KRSK
@koro485 · X

@ronbun_factory 「正規分布してないからt検定だめ、線形回帰だめとかうっせぇ!」 https://t.co/ywCCHXGmFz

Sep 24, 2020 · 18 likes · 4 shares · 19,754 followers View post →
Thomas Lumley
@tslumley.bsky.social · Bluesky

We consciously wrote pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11910059/ to be used as a reply to reviewers

Jan 6, 2025 · 17 likes · 3 shares View post →
Steven Ge
@StevenXGe · X

I always thought data needs to be normally distributed (or close) for t-test and linear regression to work. I am wrong: https://t.co/eMuQ9MXcOW Per the central limit theorem, normality is not required for large samples. Any idea about the effect of the extremely large values?

Nov 1, 2019 · 14 likes · 1 share · 5,982 followers View post →
Kevin Griffith
@AssumeNormality · X

Also a good opportunity to re-up this excellent article that should be required reading on many more syllabi than it is https://t.co/tA8yK0gcyp

Sep 18, 2021 · 14 likes · 1 share · 2,611 followers View post →

All mentions

Thomas Lumley
@tslumley.bsky.social · Bluesky

We consciously wrote pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11910059/ to be used as a reply to reviewers

Jan 6, 2025 · 17 likes · 3 shares View post →
Mochi
@granddoraemon · X

RT @linstonwin: @SolomonKurz I think other people gave good answers (exact inference with small n; asymptotic efficiency as n goes to infin…

Nov 26, 2024 · 4 shares · 147 followers View post →
Stephen Wild
@stephenjwild · X

RT @linstonwin: @SolomonKurz I think other people gave good answers (exact inference with small n; asymptotic efficiency as n goes to infin…

Nov 2, 2024 · 4 shares · 1,900 followers View post →
Kevin Griffith
@AssumeNormality · X

@FloriSoPoliSci My main concern with OLS for binary outcomes in surveys is power - for the same effect size, you need a larger N than logistic But if you're using a large federal survey, that's usually not an issue. Good discussion here: https://t.co/tA8yK0gcyp

Apr 16, 2024 · 1 like · 2,611 followers View post →
Je Hoon Chae
@JehoonC · X

RT @linstonwin: @SolomonKurz I think other people gave good answers (exact inference with small n; asymptotic efficiency as n goes to infin…

Oct 3, 2023 · 4 shares · 162 followers View post →
Mir Henglin
@_mir_cat · X

RT @linstonwin: @SolomonKurz I think other people gave good answers (exact inference with small n; asymptotic efficiency as n goes to infin…

Oct 3, 2023 · 4 shares · 57 followers View post →
Winston Lin
@linstonwin · X

@SolomonKurz I think other people gave good answers (exact inference with small n; asymptotic efficiency as n goes to infinity), so I'll just add that @tslumley et al have a helpful paper on the (un)importance of normality (in case no one's mentioned it) https://t.co/UNTVzkKY2x

Oct 3, 2023 · 38 likes · 4 shares · 733 followers View post →
Dr. Melanie Bergmann
@MelanieBergma18 · X

Struggeling with non-parametric statistics because your data do not follow a normal distribution? If you work with large data sets (N>30), this 2002-paper might interest you: https://t.co/Cwl5zBVeOc

Aug 21, 2023 · 6,416 followers View post →
黒木玄 Gen Kuroki
@genkuroki · X

RT @genkuroki: https://t.co/itY7274yO2 【It is widely but incorrectly believed that the t-test and linear regression are valid only for Norm…

Jul 17, 2023 · 1 share · 15,560 followers View post →
黒木玄 Gen Kuroki
@genkuroki · X

https://t.co/itY7274yO2 【It is widely but incorrectly believed that the t-test and linear regression are valid only for Normally distributed outcomes. 略】 t検定や線形回帰が正規分布にのみ使えるという間違っている考え方が広く信じられていることは問題である。

Jul 8, 2023 · 4 likes · 1 share · 15,560 followers View post →
Maggie Sugg
@MagSugg · X

RT @masonfidino: And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no fu…

Jan 28, 2023 · 10 shares · 366 followers View post →
Rajat Rastogi
@wildelock · X

RT @masonfidino: And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no fu…

Jan 28, 2023 · 10 shares · 696 followers View post →
Jill Jacobson
@doctorjaj · X

RT @masonfidino: And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no fu…

Jan 28, 2023 · 10 shares · 348 followers View post →
LidongMo
@LidongMo · X

RT @masonfidino: And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no fu…

Jan 28, 2023 · 10 shares · 132 followers View post →
Dr. D. Akın
@DarcinAkin · X

RT @masonfidino: And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no fu…

Jan 28, 2023 · 10 shares · 397 followers View post →
ɒwI .Y
@Y_IWSK · X

RT @masonfidino: And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no fu…

Jan 27, 2023 · 10 shares · 299 followers View post →
Kĩmani Ndũng’ũ
@kimaniden · X

RT @masonfidino: And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no fu…

Jan 27, 2023 · 10 shares · 234 followers View post →
Mason Fidino, PhD
@masonfidino · X

And if you are looking for a paper to cite if / when a reviewer says you need to use the shapiro-wilk test then look no further than here. https://t.co/BDJsGZttOP

Jan 27, 2023 · 151 likes · 10 shares · 1,878 followers View post →
平山 尚
@hirasho · X

今更「指数分布めいてる時ですら500あればt検定でいい」的な文献見つけた。 https://t.co/FE1KOMIHJc

Jan 7, 2023 · 1 like · 1,906 followers View post →
Xuanzi Shirley Qin
@XuanziQ · X

RT @AssumeNormality: @YFeyman @XuanziQ @michalhorny Gotta invoke Lumley next time https://t.co/tA8yK0gcyp

Apr 25, 2022 · 1 share · 213 followers View post →
Kevin Griffith
@AssumeNormality · X

@YFeyman @XuanziQ @michalhorny Gotta invoke Lumley next time https://t.co/tA8yK0gcyp

Apr 25, 2022 · 1 like · 1 share · 2,611 followers View post →
Kathy Godwin
@kathy_godwin · X

RT @AssumeNormality: Also a good opportunity to re-up this excellent article that should be required reading on many more syllabi than it i…

Sep 20, 2021 · 1 share · 963 followers View post →
Kevin Griffith
@AssumeNormality · X

Also a good opportunity to re-up this excellent article that should be required reading on many more syllabi than it is https://t.co/tA8yK0gcyp

Sep 18, 2021 · 14 likes · 1 share · 2,611 followers View post →
David + Cat
@davidandacat · X

@ClosedCurves @SolomonKurz @ChelseaParlett More/better discussion of this sort of thing: https://t.co/KQZp1xOfoJ

Sep 16, 2021 · 1 like · 367 followers View post →
Nicola Pirastu
@NPirastu · X

@evans1_d @michelnivard Mostly that's what they have been taught, I have seen protocols like :rntrasnform trait -> regress out covariate effects -> rntrasnform residuals -> regress out kinship -> rntrasnform residuals ->GWAS I do not think many understand how small "large" is. https://t.co/U4IkVS0jjf

May 6, 2021 · 1 like · 760 followers View post →
Kevin Griffith
@AssumeNormality · X

Citation: https://t.co/12FoASSHmU.

Apr 18, 2021 · 1 like · 2,611 followers View post →
David + Cat
@davidandacat · X

Reference here: https://t.co/NS92P2LDYW

Feb 8, 2021 · 367 followers View post →
Kazushige Ide
@idemax2215 · X

RT @koro485: @ronbun_factory 「正規分布してないからt検定だめ、線形回帰だめとかうっせぇ!」 https://t.co/ywCCHXGmFz

Sep 24, 2020 · 4 shares · 847 followers View post →
yasukunimemo
@yasukunimemo · X

RT @koro485: @ronbun_factory 「正規分布してないからt検定だめ、線形回帰だめとかうっせぇ!」 https://t.co/ywCCHXGmFz

Sep 24, 2020 · 4 shares · 129 followers View post →
コドマン
@bigdatasurgeon · X

RT @koro485: @ronbun_factory 「正規分布してないからt検定だめ、線形回帰だめとかうっせぇ!」 https://t.co/ywCCHXGmFz

Sep 24, 2020 · 4 shares · 431 followers View post →
mocchi
@mocchi_ym · X

RT @koro485: @ronbun_factory 「正規分布してないからt検定だめ、線形回帰だめとかうっせぇ!」 https://t.co/ywCCHXGmFz

Sep 24, 2020 · 4 shares · 212 followers View post →
KRSK
@koro485 · X

@ronbun_factory 「正規分布してないからt検定だめ、線形回帰だめとかうっせぇ!」 https://t.co/ywCCHXGmFz

Sep 24, 2020 · 18 likes · 4 shares · 19,754 followers View post →
นายแจ่ม
@Kengome · X

RT @davidandacat: @AedinCulhane @dfcidatascience I'm not familiar with what estimands are typically of interest in scRNAseq experiments, bu…

Jun 24, 2020 · 1 share · 10,413 followers View post →
David + Cat
@davidandacat · X

@AedinCulhane @dfcidatascience I'm not familiar with what estimands are typically of interest in scRNAseq experiments, but it's worth noting that normality is not actually necessary for linear regression to be valid: https://t.co/KQZp1xOfoJ

Jun 23, 2020 · 2 likes · 1 share · 367 followers View post →
Ming "Tommy" Tang
@tangming2005 · X

RT @StevenXGe: I always thought data needs to be normally distributed (or close) for t-test and linear regression to work. I am wrong: htt…

Nov 1, 2019 · 1 share · 42,477 followers View post →
Steven Ge
@StevenXGe · X

I always thought data needs to be normally distributed (or close) for t-test and linear regression to work. I am wrong: https://t.co/eMuQ9MXcOW Per the central limit theorem, normality is not required for large samples. Any idea about the effect of the extremely large values?

Nov 1, 2019 · 14 likes · 1 share · 5,982 followers View post →