The database management aspect of empirical research is critical to conducting quality studies. Basic database design is relatively straightforward. Variables go in the columns of the database and individual observations go in the rows of the database. There are three ways to structure a database, and just like everything else empirical, each is derived from the research question.
Researchers are comparing independent groups or levels of a categorical predictor variable on an outcome.
Researchers are assessing the change over time or within-subjects of an outcome.
Researchers are conducting a factorial, mixed, or multivariate study.
Keep track of important information about research data such as variable names, codification of variables, and scales of measurement
Learn the methods for uploading Excel databases into SPSS.
