We propose a common framework for statistical analysis and software
development built on and within the R language, including R's
numerous existing packages. This framework, which has at its core a
very general ontology of statistical methods, offers a simple
unified structure and syntax that can encompass a large fraction of
existing statistical procedures. We conjecture that it can be used
to encompass and present simply a vast majority of existing
statistical methods, without requiring changes in existing
approaches, and regardless of the theory of inference on which they
are based, notation with which they were developed, and programming
syntax with which they have been implemented. This development
enabled us, and should enable others, to design statistical software
with a single, simple, and unified user interface that helps
overcome the conflicting notation, syntax, jargon, and statistical
methods existing across the methods subfields of numerous academic
disciplines. The approach also enables one to build a graphical
user interface that automatically includes any method encompassed
within the framework. We hope that the result of this line of
research will greatly reduce the time from the creation of a new
statistical innovation to its widespread use by applied researchers
whether or not they use or program in R.
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