Editing Sampling (statistics) (section)

=== Haphazard sampling ===
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Haphazard sampling refers to the idea of using human judgement to simulate randomness. Despite samples being hand-picked, the goal is to ensure that no conscious bias exists within the choice of samples, but often fails due to [[selection bias]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 January 2024 |title=Haphazard sampling definition |url=https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/haphazard-sampling |website=AccountingTools}}</ref> Haphazard sampling is generally opted for due to its convenience, when the tools or capacity to perform other sampling methods may not exist.

The major weakness of such samples is that they often do not represent the characteristics of the entire population, but just a segment of the population. Because of this unbalanced representation, results from haphazard sampling are often biased.<ref>{{Cite book |title=IRS Statistical Sampling Handbook |publisher=USA: Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service |year=1988 |pages=8}}</ref>