Statistical review for mediation and moderation
Mediation and moderation papers draw some of the sharpest reviewer comments. We check the tests, the interpretation, and the claims before a reviewer does.
What we check
- How indirect effects are tested (bootstrapped intervals rather than the Sobel test) and how many resamples were used
- Causal language, temporal ordering, and whether the design supports a mediation claim
- Confounding: which covariates are included on which paths, and what is left out
- Interactions: centering, interpretation of lower-order terms, and how simple slopes or regions of significance are probed
- Moderated mediation: whether the index and the conditional effects are reported
- Power and sample size for indirect effects and interactions
- Multiple mediators or moderators and whether the family of tests is handled
- Effect sizes, complete tables, and software and macro versions
What you get
- A structured report with each issue tied to its page and table, why it matters, and a suggested fix.
- Confirmation of what passed, so you can show a reviewer the checks were run.
- Typically a Tier 2 (Moderate) review. Your quote is a flat price set before any work starts.
What a finding looks like
Illustrative example, not from a client report.
Indirect effect tested with the Sobel test
Results, p. 12
The indirect effect is declared significant from a Sobel z, and the paper then describes X as causing change in Y through M.
Suggested fix
Use a bootstrapped confidence interval for the indirect effect, report the number of resamples, and soften the causal language to match the design.
Good to know
We review the analysis and reporting you send. We do not re-run your models unless that is agreed in the quote, and a re-analysis is a separate, larger scope. Pricing is tiered by the complexity of the analysis and quoted flat within 72 hours; nothing starts until you approve it. Your files are used only for the agreed engagement; see our confidentiality approach.
Ready when you are
Tell us about your project and you will get a scoped, flat-price quote within 72 hours.