 Solution

Let $W=2[\ell (\hat{\theta })-\ell (\tilde{\theta })]$ be a regular likelihood-ratio test statistic for $r$ smooth restrictions, so its leading null law is ${\chi }_r^2$. Suppose a higher-order calculation gives ${\mathbb{E}}_{0}W=r+a/n+O(n^{-2})$. The Bartlett correction rescales the statistic:Its mean is $r+O(n^{-2})$, eliminating the first-order mean error. In regular likelihood models satisfying the usual Bartlett expansion, the same scaling removes the leading $n^{-1}$ distributional error against the chi-square reference law, leaving an $O(n^{-2})$ error for fixed tail probabilities. Matching a mean alone would not establish this distributional conclusion for an arbitrary statistic.

The coefficient depends on the model, null restrictions and nuisance parameters; it can be obtained from higher derivatives and cumulants of the log-likelihood, or estimated by null simulation when an analytic expression is inconvenient. Nuisance parameters require their appropriate null values or estimates. A correction improves finite-sample calibration within regular asymptotic theory; it does not turn a boundary-parameter or unidentifiable problem into a regular chi-square problem.