Formatting Date Variables seems like it should be straightforward, but sadly, it’s not.
If you are given data that includes dates, expect confusion. Dates can be represented in many different ways.
(more…)
Data Preparation
Best Practices for Formatting Date Variables
March 9th, 2023 by guest contributer
Best Practices for Data Preparation
October 4th, 2021 by Audrey Schnell
If you’ve been doing data analysis for long, you’ve probably had the ‘AHA’ moment where you realized statistical practice is a craft and not just a science. As with any craft, there are best practices that will save you a lot of pain and suffering and elevate the quality of your work. And yet, it’s likely that no one may have taught you these. I know I never had a class on this. (more…)
Four Weeds of Data Analysis That are Easy to Get Lost In
January 18th, 2021 by Karen Grace-Martin
Every time you analyze data, you start with a research question and end with communicating an answer. But in between those start and end points are twelve other steps. I call this the Data Analysis Pathway. It’s a framework I put together years ago, inspired by a client who kept getting stuck in Weed #1. But I’ve honed it over the years of assisting thousands of researchers with their analysis.
Member Training: Data Cleaning
June 1st, 2020 by guest contributer
Data Cleaning is a critically important part of any data analysis. Without properly prepared data, the analysis will yield inaccurate results. Correcting errors later in the analysis adds to the time, effort, and cost of the project.
Eight Data Analysis Skills Every Analyst Needs
October 24th, 2019 by Karen Grace-Martin
It’s easy to think that if you just knew statistics better, data analysis wouldn’t be so hard.
It’s true that more statistical knowledge is always helpful. But I’ve found that statistical knowledge is only part of the story.
Another key part is developing data analysis skills. These skills apply to all analyses. It doesn’t matter which statistical method or software you’re using. So even if you never need any statistical analysis harder than a t-test, developing these skills will make your job easier.
Recoding a Variable from a Survey Question to Use in a Statistical Model
March 18th, 2019 by Jeff Meyer
Survey questions are often structured without regard for ease of use within a statistical model.
Take for example a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding child births in the U.S. One of the variables in the data set is “interval since last pregnancy”. Here is a histogram of the results.