Introduction
There are two types of statistics required to analyze data generated by tests, surveys, and other quantifiable methodologies:
Descriptive Statistics
- Reporting or describing summary data without drawing any conclusions, such as total number and percent who answered a question a certain way. Typically, descriptive data is presented in summary tables or graphs.
Inferential Statistics
- After the use of appropriate tests and correlations, data is presented as predictive or causative of a certain behavior, generalized to a population, or confirming or dis-confirming a test of a hypothesis.
Help with Statistical Analysis
- CSUN IT Training Guides: SPSS
- Tools to Help You Learn and Use SPSS
- Simple Interactive Statistical Analysis (SISA)
- Calculating Basic Statistical Procedures in SPSS: A Self-Help and Practical Guide to Preparing Theses, Dissertations, and Manuscripts
- Excel for Statistical Data Analysis
Further Reading
- Matthews, J. R. (2007). The evaluation and measurement of library services. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.
- Vaughan, L. (2001). Statistical Methods for the Information Professional: A Practical, Painless Approach to Understanding, Using, and Interpreting Statistics. Medford, N.J.: Published for the American Society for Information Science and Technology by Information Today.