Name: Qing Liu
Firstname: Qing
Title: Research Fellow
Institution: J&J Pharmaceutical Research and Development
Street: 920 Route 202, P.O.Box 300
City: Raritan
Zip-Code: NJ 08869
Country: USA
Phone: (908) 927-3604
Fax: (908) 526-5196
Email: qliu2@prdus.jnj.com
Authors: Qing Liu
Title: On the SMART Principles for Multiple Comparisons
Abstract: Should the Type I error rate be controlled to account for multiplicity of hypothesis testing? This question can be both confusing and controversial when examined from seemingly opposing points of view. We propose that the context of experiment be taken into account to remove much of the confusion and controversy. On this basis, the principles of Separation, Mixing, Ascending hierarchy, Relevancy, and Timeliness (SMART) are developed for formulating a family of hypotheses, for which a strong control of the Type I error rate is not necessary. We define the notion of proper control and also provide a SMART testing method for a SMART family of hypotheses. Examples are given for illustration.