ABSTRACT
The first stage of data analysis should always involve some form of summary of the data. This can be done numerically and/or graphically. This process can give a preliminary idea of whether the results of the research are in line with the researcher’s hypotheses. In addition, they will be useful for helping to identify unusual scores and, when reporting the results, as a way of describing the data.
A frequent use of graphs is to identify the distribution of data. The normal distribution is a particularly important pattern for data to possess as, if present, certain statistical techniques can be applied to the data. The distribution of data can vary from normal by being skewed – non-symmetrical – or having kurtosis – forming a flat or a tall and thin shape.
