Analyzing a Dataset using the Scientific Method: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: State a research question

Task:

This is an open book, open notes, open internet access project. The only rule is that you must do your own work.  Make sure you follow this rule to avoid violating academic integrity policy!

For this project, you must follow the scientific method to analyze a dataset of your choice. You can use the ESS data, ICPSR data, or any other dataset from a publically available source. I did a search on Google for “publicly available datasets” and found many.

Once you find an interesting dataset, you should review the metadata, codebook, or any other file that identifies the variables in the dataset.  You should then develop an interesting research question. Once you are satisfied with your research question you will need to download the data and analyze it using R, SPSS Statistics, or SAS. 

For this project, we are going to keep it simple by following the Scientific Method discussed in class:

1.State a research question
a.A simple example from the ESS data would be; do more trusting people have different TV watching habits than those who are less trusting?
2.Generate theory
a.Here you would do some basic research on the web or by some other means and use it to support your hypotheses. Make sure you cite your references! Do not make unsubstantiated claims!
3.State your hypotheses
a.A simple example based on the research question in 1a would be; Trust and time spent watching TV are positively related.
4.Measure variables
a.Here you need to explain how the variables were measured
5.Graph the data
a.Here you will need to generate a graph that best represents the data and your analysis
i.Descriptive statistics (histogram, etc.)
ii.A graph that supports the results in number 6 (bar graph, line graph, etc)
6.Analyze the data
a.Choose and justify a particular analysis approach (e.g., regression, ANOVA, mean comparison, etc.).7.Write up the results
a.Concise write-up of your results. Andy Fields provides many examples in the text. Deliverable