Publishing nutrition research: a review of nonparametric methods, part 3.

This is the third article in a periodic five-part series on publishing nutrition research. These monographs are designed to assist in the interpretation of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association author guidelines and provide guidance in publishing and interpreting nutrition-related research articles. This installment focuses on the use of nonparametric statistical methods. The rationale for their use, their advantages and disadvantages, nonparametric alternatives to parametric tests, nonparametric statistical analysis, examples of their use, and helpful resources for further study are topics and issues addressed in this article.