- Welcome
- Important notice
- About the author
- About this site
- Site guide + Search box
- Dedications
- Acknowledgments
- My personal pantheon (of the great and the good in survey research)
- Recent and planned activities
- Textbooks for Research Methods and Data Analysis
- 1: Survey Analysis Workshop (SPSS)
- 1a: Statistical concepts and methods
- 1b: Teaching with Survey Data
- 1c: Developing research projects using survey data
- 1d: Workshop and presentations for ASSESS (SPSS users in Europe)
- 2: Survey Research Practice
- 2a: Survey Research Methodology, Practice and Training
- 2b: Major survey series
- 3: Subjective Social Indicators (Quality of Life)
- 4: Survey Unit, Social Science Research Council (UK)
- 5a: Polytechnic of North London (1976-1992)
- 5b: Survey Research Unit (1978-1992)
- Village life in Normandy
- Contact
- Origins of the British Crime Survey
- British Crime Survey
Marsh & Elliott 2008
Catherine Marsh & Jane Elliott
Exploring Data
(2nd edition, Polity Press, 2008, with associated companion site
Jane Elliott is currently Professor of Sociology at Exeter. She was previously Chief Executive of the (UK) Economic and Social Research Council: consequently a planned new edition was delayed, possibly forever).
When I have time I'll replicate some examples using syntax rather than the GUI in SPSS 22: on this site they will also be in colour.
The Polity Press site has not been updated and chapter 1 seems to be no longer available for free download.
The book includes the following chapters
Part I Single Variables
1 Distributions and Variables
2 Numerical Summaries of Level and Spread
3 Scaling and Standardizing
4 Inequality
5 Smoothing Time Series
Part II Relationships between Two Variables
6 Percentage Tables
7 Analysing Contingency Tables
8 Handling Several Batches
9 Scatterplots and Resistant Lines
10 Transformations
Part III Introducing a Third Variable
11 Causal Explanations
12 Three-Variable Contingency Tables and Beyond
13 Longitudinal Data
This is really a book about the process and logic of survey analysis rather than a course in SPSS, but it makes intensive use of SPSS (release 13) to analyse data from major British government surveys such as the General Household Survey (2005), the National Child Development Survey, the New Earnings Survey and the British Crime Survey. It follows a logical progression from analysing one variable, moves on to two variables and then to three (many) variables. All statistical procedures are preceded by an explanation of the initial research problem and why each procedure and/or test is appropriate, before presenting SPSS commands and output. It is particularly good on causal explanations.
It is included here not only because it's an excellent book, but also because I appointed Cathie Marsh to her first research post in 1974, as a trainee in the SSRC Survey Unit (where she learned SPSS working on the Quality of Life in Britain and other surveys). When SSRC closed the unit in 1976, she became a Lecturer in Sociology at Cambridge and in 1990 moved to Manchester where she was instrumental in setting up up the Centre for Census and Survey Research. She died on 1 Jan 1993, aged 41, and the Centre is now named after her.
Exploring Data
(2nd edition, Polity Press, 2008, with associated companion site
Jane Elliott is currently Professor of Sociology at Exeter. She was previously Chief Executive of the (UK) Economic and Social Research Council: consequently a planned new edition was delayed, possibly forever).
When I have time I'll replicate some examples using syntax rather than the GUI in SPSS 22: on this site they will also be in colour.
The Polity Press site has not been updated and chapter 1 seems to be no longer available for free download.
The book includes the following chapters
Part I Single Variables
1 Distributions and Variables
2 Numerical Summaries of Level and Spread
3 Scaling and Standardizing
4 Inequality
5 Smoothing Time Series
Part II Relationships between Two Variables
6 Percentage Tables
7 Analysing Contingency Tables
8 Handling Several Batches
9 Scatterplots and Resistant Lines
10 Transformations
Part III Introducing a Third Variable
11 Causal Explanations
12 Three-Variable Contingency Tables and Beyond
13 Longitudinal Data
This is really a book about the process and logic of survey analysis rather than a course in SPSS, but it makes intensive use of SPSS (release 13) to analyse data from major British government surveys such as the General Household Survey (2005), the National Child Development Survey, the New Earnings Survey and the British Crime Survey. It follows a logical progression from analysing one variable, moves on to two variables and then to three (many) variables. All statistical procedures are preceded by an explanation of the initial research problem and why each procedure and/or test is appropriate, before presenting SPSS commands and output. It is particularly good on causal explanations.
It is included here not only because it's an excellent book, but also because I appointed Cathie Marsh to her first research post in 1974, as a trainee in the SSRC Survey Unit (where she learned SPSS working on the Quality of Life in Britain and other surveys). When SSRC closed the unit in 1976, she became a Lecturer in Sociology at Cambridge and in 1990 moved to Manchester where she was instrumental in setting up up the Centre for Census and Survey Research. She died on 1 Jan 1993, aged 41, and the Centre is now named after her.