TY - JOUR
T1 - ChauBoxplot and AdaptiveBoxplot
T2 - two R packages for boxplot-based outlier detection
AU - Tong, Tiejun
AU - Lin, Hongmei
AU - Gang, Bowen
AU - Zhang, Riquan
N1 - Tiejun Tong's research was supported in part by the General Research Fund of Hong Kong (HKBU12300123) and the Initiation Grant for Faculty Niche Research Areas of Hong Kong Baptist University (RC-FNRA-IG/23-24/SCI/03). Hongmei Lin's research was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12171310). Riquan Zhang's research was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12371272, 12531013).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2026/3/24
Y1 - 2026/3/24
N2 - Tukey's boxplot is widely used for outlier detection; however, its classic fixed-fence rule tends to flag an excessive number of outliers as the sample size grows. To address this, we introduce two new R packages, ChauBoxplot and AdaptiveBoxplot, which implement more robust and statistically principled outlier detection methods. We illustrate their advantages and practical implications through comprehensive simulation studies and a real-world analysis of provincial university admission rates from China's National College Entrance Examination. Based on these findings, we provide practical guidance to help practitioners select appropriate boxplot methods, achieving a balance between interpretability and statistical reliability.
AB - Tukey's boxplot is widely used for outlier detection; however, its classic fixed-fence rule tends to flag an excessive number of outliers as the sample size grows. To address this, we introduce two new R packages, ChauBoxplot and AdaptiveBoxplot, which implement more robust and statistically principled outlier detection methods. We illustrate their advantages and practical implications through comprehensive simulation studies and a real-world analysis of provincial university admission rates from China's National College Entrance Examination. Based on these findings, we provide practical guidance to help practitioners select appropriate boxplot methods, achieving a balance between interpretability and statistical reliability.
KW - Box-and-whisker plot
KW - Chauvenet-type boxplot
KW - Chauvenet's criterion
KW - fence coefficient
KW - outlier detection
KW - sample size
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105033544949
U2 - 10.1080/24754269.2026.2642439
DO - 10.1080/24754269.2026.2642439
M3 - Journal article
SN - 2475-4269
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Statistical Theory and Related Fields
JF - Statistical Theory and Related Fields
ER -