At the conclusion of the third part of this series, Research Concepts and Methods – 3, I pointed to the first of four combinations of research methodology constructs, that of quantitative outputs for analysis generated via statistical methods directly from quantitative data inputs. This article offers an overview of the nature and characteristics of this type of research, and also outlines some of the major considerations that need to be addressed before embarking on any data collection for such work. I am not attempting to describe or explain individual quantitative or statistical methods – there are myriad textbooks (see my short list of recommended texts below), available at all levels of study for these purposes – my aim here is to outline the main underpinning concepts relating to quantitative inputs and outputs;and, for convenience, and within the context of this, I also use the terms statistics and quantitative inputs and outputs interchangeably.With this in mind, I set out below the following sections: a closer examination of the statistical utility framework illustrated in the previous article (Research Concepts and Methods-3Journal of Sports TherapyVol. 3 Issue. 3);an introduction to the main parameters for testing hypotheses; the relationship between samples and populations; and some concluding remarks.

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