What Is Statistics?

Abstract

One might think that there is a simple answer to the question posed in the title of the form “Statistics is….” Sadly, there is not, although many contemporary statistical authors have attempted to answer the question. This article captures the essence of some of these efforts, setting them in their historical contexts. In the process, we focus on the cross-disciplinary nature of much modern statistical research. This discussion serves as a backdrop to the the aims of the Annual Review of Statistics and its Application, which begins publication with the present volume.