BASIC computer program to summarize data using nonparametric and parametric statistics including Anderson-Darling test for normality

Tools for calculating Gaussian parametric statistics are widely available in hand-held calculators and program packages for desktop as well as mainframe computers. The standard deviation calculated from non-Gaussian data may, however, be meaningless or even absurd. Furthermore, the standard error of the mean is frequently used as a descriptive statistic even if it really does not describe the variation in the observations themselves. However, comprehensive tools for calculating nonparametric descriptive statistics and judging whether observations have a Gaussian distribution are hard to come by. The present paper attempts to provide the essential statistical reasoning behind the calculation of descriptive statistics and introduces a computer program written in Microsoft BASIC that applies the methods described in the text.