StickForStats

Bridging the gap between complex statistical methods and biological interpretation

Python Streamlit Statistics Data Visualization Machine Learning

Advanced Statistics for Researchers

StickForStats is a comprehensive statistical analysis platform designed to enable researchers with minimal statistical background to perform advanced analyses. The app intelligently suggests appropriate statistical tests based on data distribution and research questions, providing tools for experimental design, data analysis, and result interpretation.

Born from the observation that many researchers struggle with statistical analysis despite its critical importance in scientific research, StickForStats aims to democratize advanced statistical methods by making them accessible through an intuitive interface and clear explanations.

Current Status: Final development stages, with plans to deploy publicly in September/October 2024.

Intelligent Test Selection

Automatically analyzes your data and research questions to recommend the most appropriate statistical tests

Experimental Design

Helps design robust experiments with sample size calculations and randomization strategies

Interactive Visualizations

Creates publication-quality figures with customizable options for different analyses

Transparent Analysis

Shows underlying R/Python code to promote reproducibility and learning

Platform Features

Intelligent Test Selection

Automatically analyzes your data's characteristics and research questions to recommend the most appropriate statistical tests, eliminating confusion about which test to use.

Educational Resources

Comprehensive learning tools like the Confidence Intervals Explorer that provide deep understanding of statistical concepts through interactive visualizations and simulations.

Experimental Design Assistant

Helps researchers design robust experiments with appropriate sample sizes, power calculations, and randomization strategies to ensure statistical validity.

Interactive Visualizations

Creates publication-quality visualizations that clearly communicate your findings, with customizable options for different data types and analyses.

Transparent Analysis

Shows the underlying R or Python code for each analysis, promoting reproducibility and helping users learn statistical programming over time.

Automated Reporting

Generates comprehensive reports with properly formatted results, appropriate citations, and interpretations tailored to your field of research.

Available Modules

Data Exploration & Visualization

  • Summary Statistics with appropriate visualizations
  • Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
  • Correlation Analysis with significance testing
  • Distribution Fitting and testing
  • Interactive Heatmaps for multivariate data

Hypothesis Testing

  • Parametric Tests (t-tests, ANOVA, ANCOVA)
  • Non-parametric Tests (Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis)
  • Multiple Testing Correction (Bonferroni, FDR)
  • Power Analysis for sample size calculation
  • Equivalence Testing (TOST)

Coming Soon: September 2024

Biological Analyses

  • RNA-seq Analysis workflows
  • GO term and KEGG pathway enrichment
  • Clustering Methods (hierarchical, k-means)
  • Time Series Analysis for longitudinal data
  • Survival Analysis (Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression)

Coming Soon: October 2024

Educational Tools

  • Confidence Intervals Explorer
  • Statistical Concept Visualizations
  • Method Comparison Tools
  • Interactive Tutorials
  • Mathematical Derivations with visualizations

Try StickForStats Modules

PCA Module

The Principal Component Analysis module allows researchers to upload datasets, perform PCA with automatic preprocessing, visualize results with customizable 2D/3D plots, and generate publication-ready figures.

Try PCA Module

Probability Distributions

Explore common statistical distributions interactively, understand how parameters affect distribution shapes, fit distributions to your data, and calculate probabilities and critical values.

Try Distributions Module

Confidence Intervals Explorer

Understand the theoretical foundations of confidence intervals through interactive simulations, visualize how sample size affects precision, and compare frequentist and Bayesian approaches.

Try CI Explorer

Development Timeline

Apr 2024

Project Inception

Initial concept development and prototype design of the StickForStats platform.

Jun 2024

Core Modules Development

Development of key modules including PCA and Probability Distributions, released as standalone demos.

Jul-Aug 2024

Integration Phase

Combining individual modules into a unified platform with consistent UI/UX and shared data processing pipeline.

Sep 2024

Beta Testing

Internal testing with IGIB researchers to gather feedback on usability and feature completeness.

Oct 2024

Public Release

Initial public release of the StickForStats platform with core functionality and documentation.

2025 and beyond

Expansion and Community

Adding advanced modules, building user community, and incorporating feedback from the scientific community.

Who Benefits from StickForStats?

Experimental Biologists

Researchers conducting wet-lab experiments who need to analyze their data without extensive statistics training. StickForStats helps with experimental design, sample size calculation, and appropriate statistical analysis of results.

Example: A molecular biologist comparing gene expression changes across multiple treatment conditions can use StickForStats to determine the appropriate statistical test, perform the analysis, and generate publication-ready figures.

Clinical Researchers

Medical professionals conducting clinical studies who need robust statistical methods for patient data. StickForStats provides specialized tools for survival analysis, repeated measures, and other clinical research methods.

Example: A clinical researcher studying drug efficacy can use StickForStats to perform power analysis for study design, analyze treatment outcomes with appropriate controls for confounding variables, and generate comprehensive reports.

Graduate Students

Students in biology, medicine, and related fields who need to analyze their thesis data but lack formal statistical training. StickForStats serves as both an analysis tool and an educational resource.

Example: A PhD student can not only analyze their data but also learn statistical concepts through the interactive tutorials and code transparency, building valuable data science skills.

Technology Stack

Frontend

  • Streamlit: Python-based web application framework
  • Plotly: Interactive visualization library
  • Altair: Declarative statistical visualization
  • Matplotlib/Seaborn: Publication-quality visualizations
  • HTML/CSS/JavaScript: Custom UI components

Backend

  • Python: Core application logic
  • NumPy/Pandas: Data manipulation and analysis
  • SciPy: Scientific computing and statistics
  • scikit-learn: Machine learning algorithms
  • statsmodels: Statistical models and tests
  • R (via rpy2): Integration with specialized R packages

Deployment

  • Docker: Containerization for consistent deployment
  • GitHub Actions: CI/CD pipeline
  • Streamlit Cloud: Hosting individual modules
  • GCP/AWS: Cloud infrastructure for full application

Project Vision

StickForStats aims to democratize advanced statistical analysis by making complex methods accessible to researchers of all backgrounds. Our vision includes:

We believe that by making advanced statistical tools more accessible, we can help researchers focus on their scientific questions rather than struggling with statistical methods, ultimately accelerating discovery and improving research quality.

Get Involved

StickForStats is an open-source project, and we welcome contributions from the community:

Contribute Code

Help develop new modules, improve existing functionality, or fix bugs. We welcome contributions from developers of all skill levels.

GitHub Repository

Beta Testing

Try our beta versions and provide feedback on functionality, usability, and features that would benefit your research.

Request Beta Access

Documentation

Help improve tutorials, documentation, and educational resources to make the platform more accessible.

Contact Us

Ready to Transform Your Statistical Analysis?

Whether you're interested in using StickForStats for your research, contributing to the project, or discussing potential collaborations, I'd love to hear from you.