Working with Data

There’s no doubt that anyone, from the most prestigious researcher in the field to the novice student researcher, can be troubled by working with numerical data. Yet almost anyone engaged in research will need to use maths or statistics at some point. In many academic fields, though, the very object of the process of research inquiry is to produce and analyse quantitative data - results in the form of numbers and statistics - and an explanation of what those results prove.

It has often been said that numbers can be manipulated to prove anything... But that is precisely why developing your numeracy abilities to the point where you can make justifiable and accurate claims in your research is vitally important. In this section of TASH you will find resources to help you with this:

• The statistics section will introduce key concepts in the analysis of numerical data. It is important to produce data that can be most productively analysed by statistical methods.
• The statistical design section will help you with the principles of designing experiments, surveys and similar research processes for statistical analysis.
• You can also find about more about the way to make the most of statistical software in your research

For University of Sheffield users, there is also a Library resource list, offering some print resources to take your understanding further.