Study design and data analysis issues

Successful reef assessment studies have certain properties in common, such as stated objective, appropriate measurement techniques, adequate and effective sampling, and powerful statistical analysis. There are no easy formulas to good assessment design, but there are design principles that lead to good designs. To discover these principles, this chapter proposes and discusses 17 questions that should be answered at the design stage of a study. The issues raised by these questions are discussed and illustrated using examples from artificial reef literature. Conclusions are summarized as a set of 20 principles to use as a study design checklist.