Descriptive statistics

Descriptive statistics describe samples and give context to statistical findings

Descriptive statistics play a central role in putting inferential statistical analyses into context. Every research study that uses inferential statistics should have a section presenting descriptive statistics related to the sample. The p-values associated with treatment effects should be interpreted within the context of the measures of descriptive statistics generated in the inferential analyses.

Types of descriptive statistics

Mean, median, and mode
Variance, standard deviation
Frequency statistics
Chi-square, Fisher's Exact, odds ratio, relative risk, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel, epidemiological measures, diagnostic testing
There are four types of descriptive statistics: Measures of central tendency, measures of variability, frequency, and cross-tabulation.