ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the important, but often overlooked, topic of initial data analysis (IDA). The aim of IDA is to process data so that its quality can be assessed before any further analysis is undertaken. There are three basic steps in IDA, data processing, data scrutiny and ‘cleaning’, and data description. Data processing involves coding and entry of the data into a data set with a format suitable for subsequent exploratory analysis. Data scrutiny and cleaning means checking on the quality and structure of data and correcting any errors due to recording and processing. Data description involves summary and display of the main characteristics of data distributions.
