Section Editor's Notes

Abstract

This is my first issue as associate editor of software reviews for The American Statistician. In this column, I will introduce myself, comment on the types of software reviews that can be published in this section of The American Statistician, and encourage others in the profession to consider taking on the task of reviewing statistical software packages. I first began reading statistical software reviews in this journal when enrolled in my doctoral program in biostatistics. I read a number of excellent reviews and found the information they contained helpful in my own research, in class projects, and in collaborative work that I was doing at the time. I became interested in writing software reviews while completing my dissertation and contacted Dr. Richard Goldstein, at that time the journal’s software reviews editor. Dr. Goldstein explained the process of submitting software reviews, gave me valuable pointers on writing these reviews as well as obtaining the statistical software that I was interested in evaluating, and helped me focus my ideas. I completed my first software review after finishing my dissertation. During this period, Dr. Joseph Hilbe assumed the role of software reviews editor. Both Drs. Goldstein and Hilbe were instrumental in helping me get that first review published. That review focused on statistical software designed specifically for, or with strong components in, analyses of data obtained from epidemiology studies (Oster 1998). I subsequently developed an interest in statistical research in categorical data analysis methods in general, and in exact statistical methods in particular. Since then, I have authored (and coauthored with Dr. Hilbe) numerous comparative reviews regarding categorical data analysis and exact statistical methods (Oster 2002, 2003; Oster and Hilbe 2003, 2005, 2008a, 2008b). In these reviews, there is an emphasis on evaluating the implementation and performance of statistical methods in the various software packages. Writing these reviews has been a rewarding experience for me personally and also for my career. Various types of software reviews have appeared in The American Statistician. These reviews have traditionally been of the comparative type. A comparative review involves the evaluation of two or more software packages with a focus on a specific statistical or scientific area (e.g., Oster and Hilbe 2008a, 2008b). This type of review tends to be thorough and involves an evaluation of all capabilities of each software package with