What does the term "statistics" refer to in research?

The term "statistics" in research refers to a comprehensive set of mathematical procedures used to organize, summarize, and interpret information. This involves collecting data and analyzing it to draw meaningful conclusions about the patterns and relationships within that data.

Statistics enable researchers to process quantitative information effectively, allowing them to transform raw data into understandable formats, such as graphs and tables, and to calculate measures like averages and variances. By summarizing data, statistics make it easier to understand essential trends and make informed decisions based on empirical evidence.

This definition encompasses a broad range of activities, including descriptive statistics, which summarize data from a sample, and inferential statistics, which allow researchers to make generalizations about a population based on sample data. Thus, option B captures the essence of what statistics encompasses in the context of research.