Social Statistics Project Checklist

1. Social Statistics Project Checklist Use this checklist as you complete a social statistics project from start to finish. Results Presentation: 11.) Have you outlined a clear story you want to tell with your results so that you’re not simply presenting every piece of output you have? 12.) Are you giving your audience enough information about the dataset you used so that they are convinced the data are of high quality? 13.) Does your audience know how your key variables are coded so that they will not be confused when you present your results? 14.) Are you explaining your results with enough detail and clarity so that the statistically untrained can follow what you’ve done? 15.) Have you foreseen some questions that your audience might have about your results and have you prepared answers to these questions? Data Management: 1.) Are you using the correct dataset to address your research questions? 2.) How were the data collected, and was this carried out by a reputable party? 3.) Does the dataset contain the types of variables that you will need to carry out the types of analyses you want to conduct? 4.) If you have recoded variables, have you checked your work, and given all the new variables labels? 5.) From what population was the sample drawn? When all is said and done, about which group will you be able to say something? Data Analysis: 6.) Are you conducting the correct types of analyses given the variables you have? 7.) Are you using the appropriate set of cases for your analyses? 8.) Have you conducted the full range of descriptive analyses that you need to in order to ensure that your more advanced analyses are correct? 9.) Have you put your results to the “smell test”: do they make sense? 10.) Have you saved all of your output in an organized fashion so that when you go back to them you can recall what you did?