These software and programs afford the user greater control and flexibility in tailoring complex hierarchical models. However, this level of control and flexibility places a higher degree of responsibility on the user to evaluate the robustness of their statistical inference. To determine how often biologists are running model diagnostics on hierarchical models, we reviewed 50 recently published papers in 2021 in the journal
Here, we provide a guide to understanding and validating complex models using data simulations. To determine how often biologists use data simulation techniques, we also reviewed 50 recently published papers in 2021 in the journal
Simulating data helps a researcher gain a deeper understanding of the models and their assumptions and establish the reliability of their estimation approaches. Wider adoption of data simulations by biologists can improve statistical inference, reliability and open science practices.