Requirements: Participants must have access to a computer with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges on. They should have a few specific software packages installed (listed below).
Accessibility:
We are dedicated to providing a positive and accessible learning environment for all. Please get in touch you require any accommodations or if there is anything we can do to make this lesson more accessible to you.
Contact: Please email or rsginfo@soton.ac.uk for more information.
Please be sure to complete this survey after the lesson.
Please input the date as the date you started the materials.
Good data organisation is the foundation of any research project. Most researchers have data in spreadsheets, so it is the place that many research projects start. We often organise data in spreadsheets in the ways that we as humans want to work with data. However, in order to use tools that make computation and data analysis more efficient, reusable and reproducible, such as programming languages like R or Python, we need to structure our data in a particular way so that computers can "understand" and "make use of" the data. Since this is where most research projects start, this is where we want to start too!
| 1. Introduction | What are the basic principles for using spreadsheets for good data organisation? |
| 2. Organising data in spreadsheets | How do we organise and format data in spreadsheets for effective data use? |
| 3. Common spreadsheet errors | What are some common challenges with formatting data in spreadsheets and how can we avoid them? |
| 4. Dates as data | What are good approaches for handling dates in spreadsheets? |
| 5. Quality assurance and control | How can we carry out basic quality control in spreadsheets? |
| 6. Exporting data | How can we export data from spreadsheets in a way that is useful for downstream applications? |
| 7. Survey | |
| Finish |
The actual schedule may vary slightly depending on the topics and exercises chosen by the instructor.
To participate in this lesson, you will need access to software as described below. In addition, you will need an up-to-date web browser.
The instructions for all the software can be found on the setup page.