Principles of Data Management and Presentation

The world is saturated with data. We are regularly presented with data in words, tables, and graphics. Students from many academic fields are now expected to be educated about data in one form or another. Yet the typical sequence of courses—introductory statistics and research methods—does not provide sufficient information about how to focus in on a research question, how to access data and work with datasets, or how to present data to various audiences.
  
Principles of Data Management and Presentation addresses this gap. Assuming only that students have some familiarity with basic statistics and research methods, it provides a comprehensive set of principles for understanding and using data as part of a research project, including:
• how to narrow a research topic to a specific research question
• how to access and organize data that are useful for answering a research question
• how to use software such as Stata, SPSS, and SAS to manage data
• how to present data so that they convey a clear and effective message
 
A companion website includes material to enhance the learning experience—specifically statistical software code and the datasets used in the examples, in text format as well as Stata, SPSS, and SAS formats. Visit www.ucpress.edu/go/datamanagement, Downloads tab. 

John P. Hoffmann is Professor of Sociology at Brigham Young University. Before arriving at BYU, he was a senior research scientist at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a nonprofit firm affiliated with the University of Chicago. He received a master’s in Law and Justice from American University and a doctorate in Criminal Justice from SUNY–Albany. He also received a master’s in Public Health with emphases in Epidemiology and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University. His research addresses drug use, juvenile delinquency, and the sociology of religion.
 

Preface
Acknowledgments

1 Why Research?

Why Research
What Is Research?
Classifying Research
Impediments to Conducting Sound Research
How Can We Make Research Interesting and Persuasive?
The Research Process
Final Words

2 Developing Research Questions

Selecting a Topic
From Topic to Research Question
Refining Research Questions
An Example
Final Words

3 Data

What Are Data?
Sources of Data
From Concepts to Variables
Forms of Data
Final Words

4 Principles of Data Management

Codebooks
Documentation
Coding
Data Cleaning and Screening
Naming Conventions
Principles of File Management
Final Words

5 Finding and Using Secondary Data

Types of Secondary Data
Why Use Secondary Data?
Sources of Secondary Data
Examples of Searching for, Downloading, and Importing Data
A Simple Test of the Conceptual Model
The Pew Research Center Data
Final Words

6 Primary and Administrative Data

Principles for Primary Data
Administrative Data and Linking Datasets
Final Words

7 Working with Missing Data

Why Are Missing Data a Problem?
Reasons for Missing Data
Types of Missing Data
Forms and Patterns of Missing Data
Addressing Missing Data in the Analysis Stage
Finals Words

8 Principles of Data Presentation

Presenting Data
Visual Images
First Principles: Clarity, Precision, and Efficiency
Why Words Are Not Enough
Types of Tables and Graphics
Principles of Data Presentation
Final Words

9 Designing Tables for Data Presentations

Table or Graphic?
Tables
Examples of Tables
Final Words

10 Designing Graphics for Data Presentations

Graphics
Examples of Graphics
Where to Next?
Final Words

Appendix: Introduction to Statistical Software

Stata
SPSS
SAS
R
Final Words

References
Index