
Professional scientists, even mathematicians and professional statisticians, can be fooled by even some simple methods, even if they are careful to check everything. For example, in medical science, correcting a falsehood may take decades and cost lives.

The false statistics trap can be quite damaging for the quest for knowledge. When the statistical reason involved is false or misapplied, this constitutes a statistical fallacy. In others, it is purposeful and for the gain of the perpetrator. In some cases, the misuse may be accidental. That is, a misuse of statistics occurs when a statistical argument asserts a falsehood. Statistics, when used in a misleading fashion, can trick the casual observer into believing something other than what the data shows.

( November 2014) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help improve this article if you can. The specific problem is: this article is badly written, often unclear. This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
