An observatory note on tests for normality assumptions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how numerous tests that are available in statistical literature to assess normality of a given set of observations perform in normal and near-normal situations. Not all these tests are suitable for all situations but each test has an exclusive area of application. Design/methodology/approach – These tests are assessed for their power at varying degrees of skewness, kurtosis and sample size on the basis of simulated experiments. Findings – It is observed that almost all these tests are indifferent for smaller values of skewness and kurtosis. Further, the power of accepting normality reduces with increasing sample size. Originality/value – The article gives guidelines to researchers to apply normality assessing tests in different situations.