University of California San Francisco

Biostatistics Core FAQs

How do I request a service consultation?

What does a consultation entail?

  • Project time for data analysis includes any meetings and time spent on analysis planning and work, data preparation, explaining/discussing results, writing sections of the manuscript, responding to reviewer comments with possible additional analysis work and rewriting, and any communication via email/phone/Zoom about the project.

Who are the biostatisticians?

What are the services and turnaround time?

Type of AnalysisForecasted Hours
Advice on analysis plan or analyses already done by requester5-10 hours
Code Review of data cleaning/analysis already done by requester2-5 hours, depending on complexity of data set/analysis
Perform all analysis for manuscript + manuscript reviewApproximately 30 hours, but could range from 20-100 hours, depending on complexity of analysis
Providing additional analysis support to address reviewer comments for a paper in which the DoS Biostats Core was not initially involved10-15 hours, depending on complexity of additional analyses requested
Small requests such as instructions on how to perform a specific test or tests in Stata, R, etc. and how to interpret the results1-5 hours
Grant proposal help10-20 hours, depending on type of grant proposal
Abstract Preparation - may involve clarifying primary study objectives, cleaning data and preparing an analysis data set, performing analyses to address study objectives, creating summary tables and figures, writing the statistical methods and results, reviewing drafts of the abstract

5-40 hours 

  • ~5-20 hours if data is relatively clean, and the requester only asks for a few specific analyses for the abstract
  • >20 if the data is not in an analysis data set format, requires cleaning, and pre-determined analyses for the abstract are not specified, e.g., several analyses are requested before deciding on which results will be included in the abstract

How much does it cost?

  • Core Director $180.96
  • Senior Biostatistician $132.24

How many free hours do I get?

  • Residents and post-doctoral fellows receive 40 hours during their residency
  • Faculty members receive one free consultation per year; maximum of 1 per each academic year; for grant submission, unlimited hours for NIH grants and maximum of 10 hours/year for non-federally funded grants

Refer to our policy for more information

What should I have ready when signing-up in iLab?

  • Project alias title, description or abstract, service needed from the consultation, data file for upload (if applicable), deadline, and mentor(s) information
  • Funding information:
    • Faculty and resident with active funding source are automatically registered in iLab with speedtype information
    • For residents/postdoc fellows, medical students, and staff who do not have active funding, please have the Faculty/PI lab name and their funding/speedtype information
  • If you experience any issues, email the Biostat Core Admin for assistance

Could you extract or organize my data?

  • The Biostatistics Core does not support data extracting. 
    • We do not have access to databases, such as IMB Merative MarketScan.
  • It is expected we receive data sets from you that are ready for analysis and with clear data documentation. Please refer to the following instructions for creating a dataset. 
  • Please reach out to Dr. Lee if you have any questions, or if you would like help identifying services that support your data extraction and data management. 

Note: If you are already registered in iLab, visit our Checklist for further detailed tips and guidance.