While it is very often done, it is improper for the statistician to construct the model; if the user cannot make the assumptions, the statistician is no longer a consultant, but a coauthor.
C'mon Herman ... what IS the role then of the statistician ... just to run data? ...
You can't expect every person who has a legitimate interest in "data" to be a "true" statistician ... just like we can't expect every person who has a valid interest in weather phenomena ... to know all the intricate facts and "history" about weather ...
I would argue that a major role of a professional statistician is to HELP others ... and assist them to see what are valid approaches to doing things with data and help them understand the underlying assumptions that are and have to be made
And, as far as being a coauthor ... what's wrong with that? In fact, the coauthor model is an excellent one ... as long as both have made important contributions to the paper ...
I do agree that software makes "output" easy to come by but, that is a totally different matter ...
---------------------------------------------------------- Dennis Roberts Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://roberts.ed.psu.edu/users/droberts/drober~1.htm
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