ABSTRACT
The purpose of the research (to explore, describe, or explain) and the type of data collected (nominal, ordinal, or ratio) dictate the data analysis process. Regardless of the purpose, researchers are interested in certain descriptors of each variable; for example, the central location and distribution of the data, as well as the presence of any anomalies. Measures of central tendency (e.g., an average), measures of dispersion (e.g., standard deviation), and graphics used to describe individual variables are called univariate (one variable) or descriptive statistics, and this chapter explains each in turn.
