Statistical descriptors in crystallography: Report of the IUCr Subcommittee on Statistical Descriptors

Abstract

The Subcommittee has attempted to elucidate the nature of problems encountered in the definition and use of statistical descriptors as applied to crystallography and to propose procedural improvements. The report contains (a) a dictionary of statistical terms established for use by experimentalists; (b) a description of the statistical basis for refinement procedures; (c) sections dealing with defects in the physical model used for refinement, and with the choice and significance of weighting schemes; and (d) recommendations, some of which may be readily implemented, whilst others may require a long-term effort to bring them into general use.