Using
software for statistical research is very common now, and is made mandatory by
many colleges around the world. There are various statistical packages which
are specially designed for scholars undertaking masters or doctoral studies.
These packages make the task of data entry and analysis comparatively easy for
scholars. Moreover, they enable the following of a standard for data analysis
and interpretation of data over different universities.
SPSS
or statistical package for social sciences is software which is widely used by
students, as well as by experts who offer research methodology consultation to scholars. SPSS is used for many
domains, apart from social sciences. There is one row for each independent
source of data and one column for each variable that has to be studied. The
name of each variable field, by which it will be identified, will be entered
first. It has to start with an alphabet, even if it is a string variable; i.e.
containing both numerals and letters. SPSS allows a standard length of 8
characters for variable name. Hyphens and spaces are not to be used while
writing variable names, as the hyphen gets interpreted as a subtraction symbol,
and the space confuses the software as to the number of variables to be names.
An underscore can be used, however, if more than one element is being used in
the name.
The
variable type will have to be defined in the format that is provided in SPSS.
Numeric calculations are done only for variables which are defined as numeric,
and not on string variables, even if they contain only numbers. So defining the
variable type properly is necessary. A label can be added to explain the
information being provided. The students who use this package must take SPSS help for making full use of all
the characteristics, like deciding the width of each variable. Assistance will
also be required for interpretation of results and putting it in the context of
the research questions.
