JAGS Model Conventions

Unless stated otherwise JAGS model code adopts the following naming conventions:

• Data variables are in upper camel case, i.e., DataVariable.
• In general an upper camel case name prefixed by a lower case character, i.e., bAlpha, indicates a parameter. More specifically still:
  • sTerm indicates the standard deviation (SD) of Term.;
  • and eDataVariable[i] is the expected value of DataVariable[i].
• An exception to the previous convention is that nFactor indicates the number of levels of a, by definition, discrete data variable Factor.

Where the terms are defined in a table it is assumed that:

• All effects are linear (as opposed to quadratic or cubic) unless stated otherwise.
• All effects are fixed (as opposed to random) unless stated otherwise.

For more information on fixed and random effects the reader is referred to Kery and Schaub (2011, 77–82).