"Spurious Relation (or Correlation) (b) Spurious correlation is sometimes called an "illusory correlation." In that case, "spurious" is then reserved for the special case in which a correlation is not present in the original observations, but is produced by the way the data are handled. In other words , the analyst does some "funny" manipulation of the data and creates a relationship where none had existed before.

In human and physical geography, researchers routinely calculate correlation coefficients between variables that are in a functional relationship with one another. At least part of the correlation between such variables is due to the functional relationship and is termed spurious correlation. Such correlation contributes practically nothing to the understanding of the phenomenon under investigation and a systematic method for its removal is desirable.