New book edited by Jane Elliott

The Executive Director of CLS has recently edited a new book entitled Exploring Data. This updated edition of a classic text, first written by Catherine Marsh and published in 1988, introduces a range of techniques for exploring quantitative data. The book has been substantially revised to include the most recent approaches to data analysis, and includes step-by-step instructions on using SPSS. All these techniques are illustrated with real examples, drawn from important social research over the past three decades, designed to illuminate significant sociological and political debates.

Suitable for those with no previous experience of quantitative data analysis the book begins with an emphasis on descriptive statistics and graphical approaches, and moves on in later chapters to simple strategies for examining the associations between variables using inferential statistics such as chi squared. The book shows how students can use quantitative data to answer various questions. Readers are encouraged to explore data for themselves, and are carefully guided through the opportunities and pitfalls of using statistical packages, as well as the numerous data sources readily available online.

The book is published by Polity Press. Further information is available here: http://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=”9780745622828″