Mohamed Sewalim El-sayed Hamed
Lecturer
The effect of the missing rate and its mechanism on the performance of the imputation methods on different real data sets.
Statistics, Optimization & Information Computing • 2026
Publication Information
Authors
Saber, M. M., Sara Javadi, Mehrdad Taghipour, Mohamed S. Hamed, Abdussalam Aljadani, Mahmoud M. Mansour, & Haitham M. Yousof
Keywords
Imputation Methods, Missing Data, Multiple Imputation, Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations,
Incomplete Data, K-Nearest Neighbor imputation, Random Forest; Single Imputation.
Journal
Statistics, Optimization & Information Computing
Publisher
International Academic Press
Volume
14
Issue
5
Pages
2131-2141
publication.type
International
Paper Link
Open Link
Supplementary Materials
Not Available
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the mechanisms of data missingness and evaluate various imputation
techniques used to handle missing data. Missing data is a common issue in data analysis, and its treatment is crucial for
accurate modeling and analysis. This paper assesses prevalent imputation methods, including mean imputation, median
imputation, K-Nearest Neighbor imputation (KNN), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), and Random Forest (RF).
These techniques were chosen for their widespread use and varying levels of complexity and accuracy. Simple methods like
mean and median imputation are computationally efficient but may introduce bias, especially when the missingness is not
random. In contrast, more advanced methods like KNN, CART,andRFofferbetter handling of complex missingness patterns
byconsidering relationships among variables. This paper aims to provide guidance for data scientists and analysts in selecting
the most appropriate imputation methods based on their data characteristics and analysis objectives. By understanding the
strengths and weaknesses of each technique, practitioners can improve the quality and reliability of their analyses.
techniques used to handle missing data. Missing data is a common issue in data analysis, and its treatment is crucial for
accurate modeling and analysis. This paper assesses prevalent imputation methods, including mean imputation, median
imputation, K-Nearest Neighbor imputation (KNN), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), and Random Forest (RF).
These techniques were chosen for their widespread use and varying levels of complexity and accuracy. Simple methods like
mean and median imputation are computationally efficient but may introduce bias, especially when the missingness is not
random. In contrast, more advanced methods like KNN, CART,andRFofferbetter handling of complex missingness patterns
byconsidering relationships among variables. This paper aims to provide guidance for data scientists and analysts in selecting
the most appropriate imputation methods based on their data characteristics and analysis objectives. By understanding the
strengths and weaknesses of each technique, practitioners can improve the quality and reliability of their analyses.
