Data analysis
Data analysis is the step after data collection. You clean the raw data, code the open answers, calculate the figures that answer your research question and put them in tables and charts that a reader can check.
Cleaning
Removing test answers and duplicates, and deciding what to do with incomplete responses.
Coding open answers
Grouping free-text answers into categories you can count.
Descriptive statistics
Frequencies, percentages and averages, and when the median tells you more.
Charts
One message per chart, a clearly labelled axis, and the source and the number of respondents underneath.
Questions to settle first
Which answers will you remove, and can you explain why?
What should a reader take from each table or chart?
Can someone else repeat your calculation from your appendix?
Other topics
Business research
Research into a company and the market it works in, using company registers, annual reports and sector statistics, brought together in a situational analysis.
- Company and sector sources
- Situational analysis
Desk research and literature
Where to find official statistics, published studies and sector reports on your topic, and how to tell a reliable source from a weak one.
- Statistics offices and open data
- Judging the quality of a source
Quantitative research
Research that collects data as numbers, usually with a survey, and analyses it with statistics: how often something occurs, how strongly people agree, whether groups differ.
- Sample size and margin of error
- Descriptive statistics and tests
Let NHL Stenden students research your business
Tell us about your business and what you want to find out. We will tell you where NHL Stenden students can help.