Who is G. David Garson, President, Statistical Associates Publishers?
Dave's biographical sketch is here. Please note that due to the Statistical Associates workload, Dave does not do consulting and does not have time to respond to requests for free consulting by email but welcomes helpful suggestions and correspondence on other topics.
I want to use these in class. How do I do it?
Please consider having students purchase via Amazon.com. So far these revenues only partially cover expenses, so we deeply appreciate those who do. The e-books are modestly priced at a fraction of those of commercial publishers. To answer directly, there are three and only three methods since faculty are not allowed to make copies and distribute to students or colleagues:
- Assign the book for purchase via Amazon, typically $5 - $10. You can obtain the url by clicking "Buy at Amazon" on our booklist page. It is instantly available and students can use it on the free Kindle for PC or a variety of other platforms. A tutorial is here. Students may be told that by purchasing these texts they are saving money compared to commercial texts and they are helping assure that this public service continues. From an instructor viewpoint, this is the only option always available. If a student sends a copy of their receipt to sa.publishers@gmail.com, they may obtain a free no-password pdf copy.
- Refer students to http://www.statisticalassociates.com, where they may click on "E-Book List" and may obtain a free password-protected .pdf copy after registering. This free option is needed particularly in developing countries where there are currency, funding, and other obstacles to purchase. Students in developed countries who have purchased Kindle versions may find that the free pdf copies are a desirable supplement, though lacking the advantages of Kindle versions, which have no passwords, do support cut-and-paste, do support marginal notes, are automatically backed up in a cloud available to all devices, and more. Be warned that the free pdf option for a given title may be suspended if that title goes on 90-day exclusive required by Kindle/Amazon, as happens for all new titles and new editions.
- Some faculty have purchased classroom-quantities of our "Statistical Associates Library" with password-free copies of all 50 titles. A 75% discount is offered. That is, if the instructor or other individual purchases, say 3 DVDs, we will sent 12. However this must be prearranged (with sa.publishers@gmail.com, not Amazon) and we must have the student names to inscribe on the DVDs. This must be a single transaction with Amazon.
- We have discontinued our site license program and license only to individuals. We do not sell via other book retailers.
You may find this language useful in your syllabus, substituting as a different title for "Structural Equation Modeling" as appropriate:
Textbooks for purchase:
"Structural Equation Modeling" by G. David Garson, from Statistical Associates Publishers
This is an e-book which can be read with free Kindle Reader software. You do not need to own a Kindle. Here are the steps:
- Purchase the ebook on Amazon. Unlike print books which cost far more, it is only $5. To obtain the latest edition, go to http:/www.amazon.com. At Amazon, enter 'garson "structural equation modeling"' in the search box. After purchase, it will be delivered instantly and be in your Amazon Kindle cloud, accessible from all your devices.
- Send your receipt to sa.publishers@gmail.com to obtain a free no-password .pdf version if you want one also.
- You can obtain free Kindle for PC or for other devices from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sa_menu_karl?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
- A tutorial on installing and using Kindle for PC is at http://www.statisticalassociates.com/kindlehowto.pdf
How does site license purchase by my library work?
We have discontinued our site license program for libraries. We license only to named individuals.
How does purchase of the entire SA library work work?
I can't find your ebook on Kindle/Amazon. What do I do?
How do I use Kindle/Amazon e-books I buy?
It is not necessary to own a Kindle as there is a free Kindle Reader app for almost all devices. Click here for an illustrated tutorial. If you do not have a free Kindle Reader app on your device, click here.
How do I make the images larger?
For Kindle users, I added this to the FAQ page: How do I make the images larger? If you are using a Kindle device such as Kindle Fire, click on the image to make it appear in its own screen and/or use the "Scale Up" icon or the F6 key. There is also a "Scale Down" icon (F5). If you are using Kindle for PC, click on the "Full Screen" icon.
Why do you have password-protected material rather than the usual website?
The main reason is piracy. By reposting without permission on other websites we do not control, out-dated and even erroneous material is on the web, constituting a disservice to readers and to us. A secondary reason is that passwords, by requiring registration, allow us to know where our material is used and gives readers the opportunity to make comments, which we value.
How do I use the free pdf e-books?
Download the e-book (if you rely on going to the website, you may find the password has changed). The e-book list is on our booklist page, http://www.statisticalassociates.com/booklist.htm. To download in Internet Explorer, right-click the link and select "Save target as". To download in Firefox, right-click the link and select "Save link as". Load the ebook you downloaded using a current version of Adobe Reader. A window will pop up asking for a password. Enter the password and the book will appear. Passwords are obtained by clicking the "Register" icon on our home page, http://www.statisticalassociates.com. We strongly recommend downloading rather than reading on-site as the on-site passwords change whenever there is a new version, even for minor changes.
Why didn't I get my password?
You must fill out the registratrion form, filling in all required fields (name, email address, affiliation, status, and title. Comments and the peer review/editorial board checkboxes are not required fields. If we receive a form without one or more required fields, you will not get a password but we will email you why. Of course, if the email address field is blank or in error, we have no way of contacting you. Also, as stated on the registration form, to limit our workload for this free service, we process only two requests from the same email address in a 48 hour period.
Why can't I get certain passwords until a listed date in the future?
This occurs for ebooks published through Kindle Amazon, which requires a 90-day exclusive distribution right. From time to time, Statistical Associates may also make available only the Amazon purchase option.
What if my password is not working?
Before emailing us, please try these steps:
- Type in the password, or if you are pasting, make sure it is in plain text with no trailing spaces.
- You may need to download the current version of Adobe Reader, free, from Adobe's website: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
- If you are a Macintosh user, you cannot open password-protected pdf files with Preview. You need to download the free Adobe Reader for Mac.
- For reasons as yet undetermined, Chrome sometimes does not accept valid passwords. Use a different browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox.
- The password is changed with each update, even minor updates, and at other times. This is why we recommend downloading the e-books. If you are accessing the e-book at the website, the password may have changed. You will need to file a new registration form.
- When you are loading an ebook with a new password, you may need to make sure you are not trying to open a cached copy: (1) in Firefox, right-click the tab and select "Reload Tab" or "Reload All Tabs"; or (2) in Internet Explorer, right-click the tab and select "Refresh" or "Refresh all".
When I submit my request for a password, what do you do with the information? What is your privacy policy?
Clearly stated above the "Submit" button is the sentence, "Note: By submitting this information, you consent to allow email about e-book updates and statistics-related topics to be sent to you by Statistical Associates and its partners." We do accumulate a mailing list of people who read statistics- and methods-related e-books. You may get mailings from us or our partners who may purchase our mailing lists, regarding updates or related matters. Mailings from Statistical Associates are infrequent. Consenting to such email is a price of receiving our e-books in free pdf format. We do not retain any information related to the Kindle versions when you click to purchase at Amazon.
Why is there a delay in getting passwords?
While e-books are still free, we do not have funds to hire processing staff. Delay is a price readers pay for free e-books. Sometimes passwords are sent the same hour, but when the office is closed for vacation it could take two weeks. In nearly all other cases, passwords are sent within two business days. Alternatively, some e-books are available instantly by purchasing them from Kindle on Amazon.com.
Why do you use the e-book format rather than html pages?
For bibliographic purposes, the e-book format allows citation by title, publisher, year, and page.
For instructional purposes, the e-book format carries page numbers, important when students are following along with pdf versions in class and when students have questions about topics within the e-book. It is also useful when readers are providing feedback to the publisher.
Where is the errata page?
Go to the Faculty-Student "Lounge" page at http://www.statisticalassociates.com/lounge.htm . Current versions you download have no known errors. However, our errata list shows any errors of which we became aware in the past, useful if you have an old version.
Can I author an e-book with Statistical Associates Publishers?
Yes. If you have written an e-Book or e-Monograph that guides readers through using a particular statistical or research methodology, we welcome your submission. It will be peer reviewed and in most instances some revision will be expected. If your contribution to an existing topic area is substantial, it is also possible to propose becoming a co-author of existing e-Books and e-Monographs. For now, e-books are free but there are author benefits, including having your work published and distributed, having your work produced in e-book format for your use, obtaining peer review and feedback, and the satisfaction of contributing to statistical literacy worldwide.
What are your peer review panels?
When a major revision of a topic is planned, members of the peer review board are solicited for input. It is our plan that all our products are peer reviewed. This improves our content and is valuable to authors as well. Peer reviewers have the satisfaction of contributing to the profession and receive the latest reviewed e-books for their own use. If you are interested, check the appropriate box on the registration form. Please enter your full name and the name of your educational or other institution. The peer review board is open to faculty and graduate students. Alternatively, write to sa.publishers@gmail.com, providing a statement of your qualifications and interests. Checking the peer review board checkbox or sending a letter is an expression of interest; appointment to the peer review board and listing occurs when the first peer review occurs. Your service will be appropriately listed on our website.
What is your editorial board?
We hope to recruit enough established faculty and researchers to help guide our editorial policies. Like other editorial boards, membership is partly honorific but we are seeking professionals who will actively provide constructive advice from time to time and who will help grow our publishing company. If you are interested, check the appropriate box on the registration form. Please enter your full name and the name of your educational or other institution. The editorial board is open to faculty only. Alternatively, write to sa.publishers@gmail.com, providing a statement of your qualifications and interests. Checking the editorial board checkbox or sending a letter is an expression of interest; appointment to the editorial board and listing occurs when you receive an appointment letter.Your service will be appropriately listed on our website.
Why do you use a larger font?
We use a font size of 14 rather than 12. This is intentional, based on research which shows that larger font not only improves reading but also improves learning as well. In addition, of course, it aids those with vision impairment. Smaller font size was necessary due to per-page printing costs when books were printed, but this constraint is no longer necessary. Also, if you want small print, you can just reduce the size in software (in most applications, control-minus and control-plus adjust size).
Why are there no indexes?
With e-books, it is much more efficient to search for keywords using the built-in digital search feature. Hold the control key down, press F (for Find), enter your search term.
Are there ISBN numbers?
All 2013 editions have ISBN numbers and are listed in Bowker's "Books in Print." However, the 2012 edition e-books published through Kindle/Amazon only have ASIN numbers, an e-book equivalent. It is not necessary to know the ISBN number or ASIN number to order from us directly or from Amazon/Kindle.
What happened to the old website and how does this new one work?
Older versions of many of the materials found at http://www.statisticalassociates.com were formerly located at the "Statnotes" website founded by G. David Garson and used by over a million people around the globe. The Statistical Associates website replaces and expands upon Statnotes. The new website still makes nearly all statistics e-books free to the user but also offers the convenience of Kindle editions at nominal cost. When placed with Kindle, it is our contractual obligation not to distribute a new title or new edition free for 90 days. However, almost all titles are available in free as well as low-cost Kindle editions some nine months out of twelve in the year.
Kindle editions are in Kindle's .mobi format, are delivered instantly, are always safe and available in the Amazon cloud as well as on your device, and require no password. They are fully searchable and support cut-and-paste of notes. They cannot be printed and do not have page numbers. Free Kindle Readers software is available for PC's, Macs, Ipads, smartphones, and many other devices as well as Kindles, and the ebook you purchase is instantly available on all your devices. The Statistical Associates website contains an illustrated tutorial on installing and using Kindle Reader for PC. Also, by purchasing a Kindle edition, you help support the continuance of the Statistical Associates free distribution efforts and we appreciatively thank you for this. Of course, when you purchase a Kindle version, you are welcome to download the free pdf version as a supplement.
Free editions are in .pdf format and require registration to receive a password. Click where it says "Register Now" to register your requests for free e-books. The registration process may involve a delay up to two business days though is usually less than that. The free pdf versions have page numbers and may be searched and printed. Cut-and-paste is not supported. Permission is not granted to copy or to post these copyrighted materials in any format or on any media, including the Internet. Like all pdf documents, free Adobe Reader software is required.
