Explaining the Shortcomings of Log‐Transforming the Dependent Variable in Regression Models and Recommending a Better Alternative: Evidence From Soil CO2 Emission Studies

Abstract Log‐transforming the dependent variable of a regression model, though convenient and frequently used, is accompanied by an under‐prediction problem. We found that this underprediction can reach up to 20%, which is significant in studies that aim to estimate annual budgets. The fundamental reason for this problem is simply that the log‐function is concave, and it has nothing to do with whether the dependent variable has a log‐normal …