To get started identifying your topic, the first thing you should do is decide which question you want to try and answer. For example, if you're interested in finding out about use of alcoholic beverages by college students, you might pose the question, "What effect does use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of college students?" It's important to choose a topic that you are interested in.
After you've identified your research question, look at what the most important concepts are. In the example above, those are "alcoholic beverages," "health," and "college students." These will be the keywords you'll rely on to search for datasets and journal articles.
If you get stumped trying to narrow your focus, try discussing your research topic with your instructor or visit one of your librarians. You can also look at the readings or assignments in your class to get an idea of what kinds of questions are being asked.
Journal Articles:
Most statistical data never make it into books and reports. However, statistical data is more commonly published in journal articles. Locating these statistics through databases such as PubMed/Medline and CINAHL can be difficult and challenging.
Using and Interpreting Statistics in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences
Focuses on the meaning of statistics and why researchers choose particular techniques, rather than computational skills. Coverage ranges from basic descriptive statistics to more advanced topics such as tests of significance, measures of association, and regression analysis. An opening chapter provides a brief overview of the research process in social, behavioral, and health sciences.
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a computer application that provides statistical analysis of data. It allows for in-depth data access and preparation, analytical reporting, graphics and modelling. SPSS includes features for descriptive statistics, bivariate statistics, predictions for numerical outcomes, and predictions for identifying groups. Data can be imported and used to create reports and other plots of data along with complex statistical analysis SPSS can be found on all of the Oceanographic Campus Library's computer stations. Please contact OIIT about getting the software for personal use.
SPSS Tutorial from University of North Texas
This tutorial starts off with the basics before teaching users analyses and testing. Students are able to go at their own pace with the modules. The modules offer examples with step-by-step instructions. From Sigma-Plus Consulting
SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a system of software solutions that allows users to perform anything from data entry and retrieval to report writing and statistical analysis. SAS allows users to perform advanced analytics, multivariate analyses, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics. SAS can manage and retrieve data from multiple sources, and users can also manage and manipulate data to prepare for analysis.
Download SAS University Edition (FREE)
JMP is a software program used for statistical analysis. It is created by SAS Institute Inc. Unlike SAS (which is command-driven), JMP has a graphical user interface, and is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. JMP is a suite of computer programs for statistical analysis. This software can be used for statistical visualization and exploratory data analysis. It is designed for users to investigate data rather than confirming a hypothesis. JMP Student Edition download page.
All types of jobs use statistics. Statistics are important for making decisions, new discoveries, investments, and predictions. Whether the subject is political races, sports rankings, shopping trends, or healthcare advancements, statistics is an instrument for understanding your favorite topic at a deeper level. With these beginner-level lessons, you too can master the terms, formulas, and techniques needed to perform the most common types of statistics.
Get practical, example-based learning of the intermediate skills associated with statistics: samples and sampling, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing.
This advanced skills training moves learners into the practical study and application of experimental design, analysis of variance, population comparison, and regression analysis. Use these lessons to go beyond the basics and dive deeper into the specific factors that influence your own calculations and results.
