6.1 Data setup

As previously mentioned, it’s really important to check that the data types and measurement types of your variables are correct. You should open the Setup () option under the Data tab to check.

When you’re in Setup, here’s the things you should be doing for all variables:

  1. Make sure the variable name is meaningful to you. You may also want to change it to something that will appear nicely in your data visualizations or tables (e.g., don’t write Q35 but rather BDI_Score).

  2. Add a description to your variable so you have more context. Maybe you write Average score of all BDI items for the description of your BDI_Score variable.

  3. Check your measurement level (i.e., nominal, ordinal, continuous, ID) and data type (i.e., integer, decimal, text) are correct.

  4. Specify if there is a code for missing values. Make sure the code does not match the code you use for actual variables! For example, if I have a variable that ranges from 0-10, then I wouldn’t use 9 as a code for missing values; instead, I might use 99 or -9.

  5. Add labels to the categories in categorical variables. For example, the variable Athlete codes 0 for non-athlete and 1 for athlete. Rather than keeping just the 0 and 1, you can specify under Levels that 0 is non-athlete and 1 is athlete.