Academic Integrity Policy & Code of Ethics

AskTheStatsProf exists to help people learn, understand and correctly apply statistics. Everything we do is built on one principle: you remain the author of your academic work, and you should be able to explain and defend every decision and every number in it.

This policy explains what our support includes, what it never includes, and how we help you stay within your institution’s rules. We share it openly with students, supervisors and institutions alike.

Our Core Principles

Learning first. Our role is to teach, guide, coach and review, never to substitute for your own learning or effort.
Student authorship. Academic work submitted for credit must be your own. We help you understand; you do the work and make the decisions.
Transparency. We encourage you to tell your supervisor or instructor that you are working with a statistics tutor or consultant, as you would with a writing center or statistics help desk.
Institutional respect. Your institution’s policies take precedence. If a policy prohibits a form of support, we will not provide it.
Honesty in research. We never fabricate, falsify or selectively manipulate data or results, under any circumstances.

What Our Academic Support Includes

Teaching statistical concepts, methods and software through live tutoring
Explaining how to choose, run and interpret appropriate analyses
Working through practice examples that mirror, but do not complete, assessed work
Reviewing and giving feedback on your analysis plan, data preparation, output and reporting
Coaching you through running your own analysis on your own data
Preparing you for exams, committee meetings and your defense
Providing templates and resources that show the structure of good statistical reporting

What We Never Do

Complete graded homework, assignments, quizzes or exams on a student’s behalf
Log in to a student’s learning management system or online assessment
Take or sit any test, exam or proctored assessment for anyone
Write dissertations, theses or chapters to be submitted as a student’s own work
Fabricate, invent, alter or “adjust” data or results
Run analyses selectively to manufacture statistically significant findings (“p-hacking”)
Knowingly provide support that violates an institution’s or program’s stated policy

We decline requests that fall into these categories, regardless of deadline or fee.

Guidance for Dissertation and Thesis Candidates

Many graduate programs explicitly permit, and some encourage, consultation with a statistician. The appropriate boundaries vary by institution. We recommend that you:

Check your program’s policy on external statistical consultation
Discuss it with your supervisor or chair, who can clarify what is acceptable
Acknowledge statistical consultation where your program or journal requires it
Keep your own records of analysis decisions so that you can explain them

We are happy to provide a written summary of the support provided, for your supervisor or committee, on request.

Professional and Research Ethics

For consulting clients, we follow widely recognized standards of ethical statistical practice, including the American Statistical Association’s Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice. In practice, this means:

Choosing methods appropriate to the question, not to a desired result
Reporting limitations, assumptions and uncertainty honestly
Documenting analyses so they can be reproduced and audited
Protecting the confidentiality and privacy of data subjects
Disclosing any conflict of interest

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Your data, drafts and communications are confidential. We do not share, sell, publish or reuse your materials. Data is used only for your project, stored securely and deleted on request when the engagement ends. For sensitive or regulated data, we recommend sharing de-identified datasets, and we can sign a non-disclosure agreement on request. See the FAQ for more on data safety.

Questions About This Policy?

Supervisors, instructors and institutions are welcome to contact us with questions about our approach. If you are unsure whether a particular kind of support is appropriate for your situation, ask us before you begin, and we will give you a straight answer.

Get Support You Can Be Proud Of

Ethical support does not mean less support. It means support that leaves you more capable, more confident and fully in command of your work. Book a free 15-minute consultation and let’s talk about how I can help you succeed, the right way.

Book an Ethical, Learning-First Consultation →

Prefer email or chat? Write to [email protected] or message me on WhatsApp at +1 (425) 999-3993.