Quick Recap: Working with Data

Working with Data

• Data are observations, statistics, facts, or other kinds of information.
• Datasets are a structured collection of data. They are organized in the following way: rows represent observations (e.g. individual people who responded in a survey, countries) and columns represent variables of interest (e.g. an individual survey respondent's age, a country's gross domestic product)
• A codebook gives information about how a dataset is organized and how the data are coded
• The unit of analysis is the subject of study about which researchers wish to analyze. The unit of observation is the unit for which data is collected and analyzed.

Dig Deeper

Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Alan Bryman, and Tim Futing Liao. 2004. "Unit of Analysis." The Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods. Click here Links to an external site. to access the digital copy. Must be logged in either on the UCSD campus or through the UCSD VPN.