Using Spreadsheets in Research – Best Practices
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Transcript of Using Spreadsheets in Research – Best Practices
Using Spreadsheets in Research – Best
Practices
RDS Brownbag, October 8, 2013
Jan Cheetham, PhD (DoIT Academic Technology)
Barry Radler, PhD (UW Institute on Aging)
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Spreadsheets in Research
Usage is ubiquitous Problems with documentation,
reproducibility Example:
Reinhart and Rogoff paper scandal (April, 2013) Cited 567 times since 2010 Referenced in stimulus/austerity debates
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Recommendations for Spreadsheets
Save a RAW copy of each spreadsheet Take a class, become a power spreadsheet
user See resources at:
http://researchdata.wisc.edu/manage-your-data/spreadsheets/
Consider moving to another software for analysis
Make your spreadsheets more: Machine readable Human readable
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Machine-readable
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Human-readable
A separate document that describes and explains: The data set Variables (field names, column headings,
etc.) Data values (codes, data labels, etc)
Type of values and formats What data values mean; code lists
Formulas and analysis steps
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One Tool: Colectica for Excel
Variable
Codes
Dataset
Catgories?
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Colectica for Excel
Documents and identifies: Datasets Variables Code lists Categories
Add more metadata than Excel supports on its own
Colectica for Excel is based on DDI www.ddialliance.org
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Colectica for Excel
Enables reuse of metadata through unique identification Variables can share the same code list
Records audit trail through versioning
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Document Datasets
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Document Variables
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Record Custom Fields
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Document Code Lists
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Reuse Code Lists
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Publish Documentation
Generate Codebooks from Excel PDF, HTML, Word, XSL-FO
Publish DDI 3.1 XML
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Resources
Colectica for Excel:www.colectica.com/software/
colecticaforexcel
DataUpdataup.cdlib.org/
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Resources
Research Data Servicesresearchdata.wisc.edu
“Practice good data management!”