Carleton's Resource on Data Support and Research

Neil Lutsky, Quantitative Inquiry, Reasoning, and Knowledge Initiative

What do the numbers show?

How representative is that?

Compared to what?

Is the outcome statistically significant?

What is the size of the effect?

Are the results those of a single study or of a literature?

What's the research design?

How was the variable operationalized?

Who is in the measurement sample?

Controlling for what?

How can Carleton Faculty, Staff and Students get help with Data & Research Methods questions?

• Send an email enquiry to PLackie <at> carleton.edu
• Students, please be sure to tell me if this is for a course and if so, which professor and which course (the short name is also great! eg: posc230-01-s11).  Non course related research questions are also welcome!
• A clear subject line is always helpful for people like me (with too much email!)

Who might benefit from this kind of help?

• Anyone wishing to discuss options and techniques for managing their evidence/data (oh.. Excel®, it's not always your friend!)
• Anyone wishing to discuss options and techniques for choosing among social science research methods - conducting your own or understanding the work of others. 
• Anyone interested in conducting a useful survey
• Declared majors in the social sciences wondering if they should get started on finding a topic for their comps... if you wait until you know what you're doing, you'll run out of time! Start with me and see what happens.
• Not sure? ... just ask!