Common Sense and Statistics by John D. Cook.
From the post:
…, common sense is vitally important in statistics. Attempts to minimize the need for common sense can lead to nonsense. You need common sense to formulate a statistical model and to interpret inferences from that model. Statistics is a layer of exact calculation sandwiched between necessarily subjective formulation and interpretation. Even though common sense can go badly wrong with probability, it can also do quite well in some contexts. Common sense is necessary to map probability theory to applications and to evaluate how well that map works.
No matter how technical or complex analysis may appear, do not hesitate to ask for explanations if the data or results seem “off” to you. I witnessed a presentation several years ago when the manual for a statistics package was cited for the proposition that a result was significant.
I know you have never encountered that situation but you may know others who have.
Never fear asking questions about methods or results. Your colleagues are wondering the same things but are too afraid of appearing ignorant to ask questions.
Ignorance is curable. Willful ignorance is not.
If you aren’t already following John D. Cook, you should.