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Journal of Applied Statistics

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Graphics for statistics and data analysis with R

Han Lin Shang
a a

Monash University, Australia Published online: 23 Apr 2012.

To cite this article: Han Lin Shang (2012) Graphics for statistics and data analysis with R, Journal of Applied Statistics, 39:8, 1843-1844, DOI: 10.1080/02664763.2012.679355 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02664763.2012.679355

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Journal of Applied Statistics Vol. 39, No. 8, August 2012, 18431851

BOOK REVIEWS
Graphics for statistics and data analysis with R, by Kevin J. Keen, Boca Raton, FL, Chapman & Hall, 2010, xxxiv+447 pp., 39.99 or US$66.83 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-58488-087-5 This book focuses on graphical tools for displaying univariate and multivariate data. It offers a vast range of graphical techniques, such as the barplot for univariate data or grouped barplot for multivariate data. The available R code (http://www.unbc.ca/keen/software.html) facilitates the easy implementation of these graphical tools to a great extent. The author divides this book into several parts. The rst chapter introduces a big picture overview of what consists a good graphical display. In Chapters 2 and 3, graphical tools for a single discrete variable are introduced, such as the dot chart, bar chart and pie chart. The main idea is that the dot chart should be utilised whenever possible for displaying a single discrete variable. Chapters 47 introduce graphical techniques to exhibit a single continuous variable, such as the stemplot, boxplot, cumulative density function plot, kernel density plot and spline density plot. In addition, several diagnostic plots are given, such as the quantilequantile plot and probability plot. The main focus of Chapter 8 is on displaying two discrete variables; graphical techniques for which include the grouped dot chart, grouped dot-whisker chart, two-way dot chart, side-by-side bar chart, side-by-side bar whisker chart and side-by-side stacked bar chart. With the focus on displaying one discrete variable and one continuous variable, graphical techniques covered in Chapter 9 are the side-by-side dotplot, side-by-side boxplot, notched boxplot, backto-back stemplot, side-by-side stemplot and kernel density plot. For displaying two continuous variables, graphical techniques covered in Chapter 10 include the sunower plot, bagplot, twodimensional histogram and two-dimensional kernel density plot. Extending from data analysis to multivariate regression models, Chapters 1113 introduce a number of graphical tools for checking the adequacy of model tting within the context of simple linear regression, polynomial regression and multiple linear regression. The main strength of this book is that it provides a unied framework of graphical tools for data analysis, especially for univariate and low-dimensional multivariate data. In addition, it is clearly written in plain language and the inclusion of R code is particularly useful to assist readers understanding of the graphical techniques discussed in the book. The only weakness is a limited number of graphical tools for displaying high-dimensional multivariate data. Since high-dimensional data display is becoming essential in many applied elds, it would be interesting to widen this books scope to high-dimensional graphical displays, such as the rainbow plot of Hyndman and Shang [1]. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and thought that it gives a concise and comprehensive introduction to Graphics in Statistics and Data Analysis. It not only summarises graphical techniques, but it also serves as a practical reference for researchers and graduate students with an interest in data display. To summarise, this book has collected a large body of graphical tools, and it has provided many practical insights into data display. It is a clearly written and well-structured book written
ISSN 0266-4763 print/ISSN 1360-0532 online http://www.tandfonline.com

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Book reviews

for a diverse range of audiences, such as statisticians and computer scientists. Hence, it is a recommended purchase for any statistical reference library. Reference [1] R.J. Hyndman and H.L. Shang, Rainbow plots, bagplots, and boxplots for functional data, J. Comp. Graph. Stat. 19 (2010), pp. 2945. Han Lin Shang Monash University, Australia hanlin.shang@monash.edu.au 2012, Han Lin Shang http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02664763.2012.679355 Design and analysis of quality of life studies in clinical trials (second edition), by Diane L. Fairclough, Boca Raton, Chapman & Hall/CRC, 2010, xx+404 pp., 59.99 or US$94.95 (hardback), ISBN 9781420061178 The aim of this book is to offer aid and guidance for researchers working in the eld of healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) studies. The content of this edition has been expanded and the latest methodology is incorporated. A new and exciting addition is the inclusion of example data sets that support learning, enabling the reader to reproduce the analyses presented in the book. In the introductory chapters, the concept of HRQoL studies is introduced with descriptions of ve example clinical trials which are then used throughout the book. Considerable space is dedicated to protocol development and specic requirements relating to HRQoL. A step-by-step model building process, using examples of longitudinal studies, is presented with detailed strategies for choosing between repeated measures and growth-curve models. Concepts of moderation and mediation variables as an addition to answering the general primary research question of the effect of treatment on outcome are briey mentioned. Seven out of 16 chapters are dedicated to missing data in HRQoL. The contents of these reect the vast methodological developments in the subject of missing data over the last few years. Chapters gradually build up in complexity; starting by introducing mechanisms of missing data, followed by simple and multiple imputation, pattern and other mixture models and nally with random effect dependent dropout models. The author emphasises the justication of assumptions when selecting a model for missing data based on a clinical rather than statistical basis and highlights their usefulness as part of a sensitivity analysis. Later chapters describe approaches to analysis; multiple, composite endpoints and summary measures are scrutinised. Strengths, weaknesses and the best use of these approaches are discussed. One brief chapter offers an introduction to quality adjusted life-years (QALYs) and Q-TwiST methods, which combine quality and quantity of life and where outcomes can be interpreted on a time scale. The nal part of the book summarises the main points to be considered in analysis plans and reporting results of HRQoL studies. The book is intended for a wide range of readers interested in design and analysis of HRQoL studies, whether they are epidemiologists, nurses or statisticians. Each chapter is written bearing this in mind. The start of each chapter introduces concepts of the topic and ends in a brief summary. All chapters are detailed and offer the reader a choice of available techniques and rationale, while technicality in each chapter increases gradually. It is encouraging to see the authors receptiveness to readers requests, shown in the availability of the datasets, software code and programs from the authors website. Examples of programs are presented in three packages: SAS, SPSS and R, thus making the text accessible to wider group of recipients.

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