Frequently Asked Questions | Duke Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

Collaborating with the BERD Methods Core

At what point should I include a biostatistician in my study?

It is essential that investigators engage a biostatistician or methodologist as early as possible in the research process.

What is the expected time for the initiation of a project from its request date?

Depending on the methodology expertise required for the project, it may take up to one month to identify an appropriate methodologist for collaboration. If a methodologist is identified, it usually takes up to 2 weeks to schedule an initial meeting. Based on the prioritization of work and availability of effort, it usually requires up to another 2-4 weeks to start the project. However, this timeline can vary depending on bandwidth and prioritization.

I have an initial meeting scheduled with a BERD biostatistician. How should I prepare for the meeting and what should I expect?

To prepare for the meeting, send any pertinent information about the project (e.g. protocol, background information, grant drafts, etc.) prior to the meeting with enough time to review the materials.

The main objective for the biostatistician during the initial meeting is to gather enough information on the science, aims of the project, research hypotheses, project goals (e.g. grant submission, poster, manuscript), deadlines, and approximate timelines.

Can you provide guidance on the study design and analytic methods so I can do my own analysis?

We can offer a consultation meeting to provide general guidance on the study, which will be limited without formally collaborating on the project and accessing the data. However, we recommend involving a biostatistician throughout the study as described in the collaborative process.

What are the best methods for collecting and transferring data?

This document outlines the best methods for collecting and sharing data. We encourage research teams to use REDCap for data collection and Duke Box for sharing data.

Should I include the biostatistician as an author on my manuscript?

Yes, authorship is important to a biostatistician’s career. Both the analysis biostatistician and supervising statistician on the project should be included as co-authors on abstracts and publications because they meet and fulfill the requirement for authorship as defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Grants

How can a biostatistician help strengthen my grant?

Biostatisticians participate in grant development in various ways including, including but not limited to:

partnering to refine study questions and measurement methods
developing study and experimental designs
writing statistical analysis plans
computing precision, power, and sample sizes necessary to achieve the study objectives

How can I include a biostatistician/methodologist on my grant?

If you need a methodologist to collaborate on a grant proposal, please visit, Identify a Collaborator for self-guided navigation or to submit a request for analytic resource navigation assistance.

Can I get a letter of support from the BERD Core for my grant?

If you have been collaborating with a BERD staff/faculty biostatistician on the grant, you should ask the biostatistician directly for a letter of support. If you have not worked with any biostatisticians in our group, the Director of BERD may provide a letter of support indicating that we will work with you to attempt to identify the appropriate methodologist or team to support the project when it is funded.

How do I estimate biostatistics support effort for a grant ?

We recommend working directly with a methodologist to estimate the appropriate effort the study. You may refer to this effort guideline for a general estimate of how much effort may be needed for projects of various scopes.