Consultation and Payment Policies

Booking and Payment

• Payment for the initial consultation is due at the time of booking unless otherwise stated. Any additional consulting services beyond the initial consultation will be billed separately under the terms agreed upon for that project.

• Booking a consultation reserves time for project review, preparation, and discussion.

Ongoing Consulting Work

• The initial consultation does not, by itself, create an ongoing consulting relationship. Any work beyond the consultation, including data analysis, manuscript support, statistical programming, or continued advising, must be separately agreed upon.

Cancellation and Rescheduling

• Clients may request to cancel or reschedule a consultation. Full refunds may be provided when cancellation occurs with reasonable advance notice.

• If cancellation occurs on short notice, or if the client does not attend the scheduled meeting, a partial refund or no refund may apply, particularly if preparation time has already been devoted to the project.

• If a consultation must be interrupted or ended early due to technical problems or other circumstances outside the client’s control, an opportunity to reschedule will be offered.

Refund Policy

• Because consultation time includes scheduling, preparation, and professional expertise, refunds are generally not available after the consultation has taken place in full.

• Partial refunds may be considered on a case-by-case basis when circumstances justify such an adjustment.

No Guarantee of Outcome

• We strive to provide thoughtful, high-quality statistical guidance and support. However, no specific outcome can be guaranteed.

• This includes, but is not limited to, publication, grant funding, reviewer approval, regulatory approval, statistical significance, or any other research or professional result. In particular, publication is not guaranteed. Final outcomes depend on many factors outside our control, including study design, data quality, editorial decisions, peer review, and institutional requirements.

Client Responsibilities

• Clients are responsible for providing accurate and complete project information to the best of their ability. Clients are also responsible for obtaining any necessary institutional, ethical, legal, contractual, or regulatory approvals related to their project, data, or materials before sharing them with us.

Data Privacy Policy

• We take data privacy seriously and request de-identified data whenever possible. For most statistical consulting projects, a de-identified analytic dataset provides everything needed for analysis while reducing confidentiality risk. Before transfer, clients should remove direct identifiers whenever they are not necessary to the project, including items such as names, contact information, medical record numbers, social security numbers, and other personally identifying details. When appropriate, study IDs or internal record codes should be used in place of direct identifiers, and only the minimum data necessary for the engagement should be shared. Clients remain responsible for confirming that any necessary IRB, HIPAA, institutional, contractual, or other approval requirements have been addressed before data transfer. If a project requires identifiable or especially sensitive data, additional documentation or review may be required before the engagement can proceed.