The bootstrap: a tutorial

Bootstrap methods have gained wide acceptance and huge popularity in the field of applied statistics. The bootstrap is able to provide accurate answers in cases where other methods are simply not available, or where the usual approximations are invalid. The number of applications in chemistry, however, has been rather limited. One possible cause for this is the overwhelming number of techniques available. This tutorial aims to introduce the basic concepts of bootstrap methods, provide some guidance as to what bootstrap methods are appropriate in different situations, and illustrate several potential application areas in chemometrics by worked examples.