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The coefficient of determination R-squared is more informative than SMAPE, MAE, MAPE, MSE and RMSE in regression analysis evaluation

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title
R-squared: The King of Regression Metrics?

This study argues that R-squared is a more informative and robust metric for evaluating regression models compared to SMAPE, MAE, MAPE, MSE, and RMSE. Through several synthetic use cases and analysis of two real medical datasets, the authors demonstrate that R-squared provides a more accurate assessment of model performance, particularly when dealing with skewed data or outliers. They propose using R-squared as the standard metric for regression analysis evaluation.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists found that R-squared is the best way to check how good a prediction rule is at guessing things. It gives a clearer picture than other methods, especially when some numbers are a bit odd or extreme.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

Davide Chicco is an Academic Editor for PeerJ Computer Science.

Identified Limitations

Limited Use Case Selection
The selection of use cases presented is limited, and there could be other scenarios where SMAPE might be more informative than R-squared.
Limited Comparison with Other Metrics
The paper primarily focuses on comparing R-squared and SMAPE, neglecting a thorough comparison with other relevant regression metrics like Huber metric, LogCosh loss, and Quantile.
Lack of Real-World Application
The paper lacks a real-world application or a comprehensive case study that demonstrates the practical implications of using R-squared over SMAPE in regression analysis.

Rating Explanation

The paper presents a well-reasoned argument for the superiority of R-squared over other regression metrics, particularly SMAPE. The use cases and examples effectively illustrate the limitations of SMAPE, especially its insensitivity to the distribution of values. The comparison with other commonly used metrics is detailed and insightful. Despite some limitations in the scope of comparison and the lack of a real-world application, the paper's strong methodological approach and clear presentation justify a rating of 4.

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Topic Hierarchy

Field: Mathematics

File Information

Original Title: The coefficient of determination R-squared is more informative than SMAPE, MAE, MAPE, MSE and RMSE in regression analysis evaluation
Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Privacy: Public