Graduate Quantitative Methods Center

Consultation Policies FAQ

To best utilize consultation hours available for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, we put in place a list of policies to which our visitors must adhere. Below you will find some general information and common questions about GradQuant consultation policies. 

• Who can take advantage of GradQuant’s services?

  GradQuant offers free quantitative methods consultations, drop-in hours, and workshops to all enrolled UCR graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

• What kinds of quantitative methods assistance can I receive?

  We provide help with any quantitative research project, during any stage of the data collection, interpretation, and presentation process. It is up to students to make an appointment with the appropriate staff member based on their expertise and the type of appointment needed. Please see our staff page and the consultation appointment system tutorial for assistance. The following consultation types provide an idea of what we can offer at this moment, but note that this is not an exhaustive list.

  1. Probability Theory & Mathematical Statistics
     Probabilities and random variables, distributions and densities, expected value and variance, Bayes’ theorem, Central limit theorem.
  2. Experimental Design
     Sampling plan, analysis planning and decision tree diagnostics.
  3. Basic Statistics
     Descriptive statistics, statistical inference and hypothesis test, linear regression analysis, and ANOVA.
  4. Advanced Statistics
     Linear mixed model, repeated measures, generalized linear model, survival analysis, longitudinal analysis, other special and advanced topics.
  5. Non-Parametric Methods
     Chi-square testing, statistical bootstrapping, Cohen’s Kappa (inter-rater agreement), and more.
  6. Statistical Software
     Currently supported: R, SAS, Excel.
  7. LaTeX & R Markdown
     Formatting and troubleshooting
  8. Database Management, Code Debugging & Programming
     Database design, query construction, algorithm and program design, programming tools and analysis, and other programming related topics.
     Currently supporting: Excel, MySQL, and Python.
  9. Data Mining & Machine Learning
     Data driven predictions, pattern recognition, clustering, and algorithm testing
• Can I schedule an in-person consultation?

  All consultations are scheduled to be done on Zoom. You can contact your GradQuant consultant to arrange for an in-person consultation at GradQuant (LFSC 1425), but this will be at the discretion of the consultant.

• How do I sign up for a remote consultation?

  You can sign up for a remote consultation through WC Online only, our online appointment platform. If you are a new user, please take a moment to create a free account using your UCR email in WC Online. If you have never used WC Online, check out the WC Online tutorial. After creating an account, choose “GQ Consultations” or “GQ Workshop” from the drop-down menu when selecting the consultation type.

• What can I expect at my first consultation?

  Depending on the complexity of the statistics that your project involves in, sometimes your question can be answered in the first meeting, but most likely, the first appointment will be an introduction of your problems to the consultant and a follow-up appointment will be needed.

  Please make sure you answer the question: “What would you like to address during your consultation?” when you sign up. Also, if you have documents you would like your consultant to look at before the appointment, be sure to attach them or to email them to GradQuant@ucr.edu. Time permitting, we will review your materials in advance of your appointment.

• What should I bring to my appointment?

  As much or as little as you have. We can help you at any stage of working with quantitative methods. If you have anything listed below that may help the consultation, bring them to the appointment: any material that will help us understand your project and problems; any write-up on how to set up your experiments or collect your data; your data if it has been collected; statistical results; any reference paper from the relevant studies; comments from the paper reviewers or your dissertation committee, etc.

• How long are appointments and how many appointments can I make per week?

  Appointments are either 20 minutes or 50 minutes in length and begin at the top of the hour or half hour. You may book only one appointment per day and up to 2 appointments per week. Please note that WC Online offers appointments in 30- and 60-minute blocks. However, the actual appointment itself runs either for 20 or 50 minutes. Please arrive on time as your consultation will start and end on time.  

• What if I need to cancel or reschedule an appointment?

  No problem! Review or make changes to your appointment by logging into your account in WC Online. Cancellations must be made at least two hours before your scheduled appointment time.

  Please note that if you fail to cancel your appointment and do not show up three times (for GradQuant or Graduate Writing Center consultations), you will be barred from utilizing all GradSuccess resources for the remainder of the quarter. You will be marked as missed if you are late for 10 min for a 20-min consultation or for 20 min for a 50-min consultation. 

• Where is GradQuant located?

  GradQuant is located in Life Sciences Building, Room 1425. Visit the Location page to see the directions to our office.