ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how to prepare a data file, there are three key steps, first step, check and modify, where necessary, the options that IBM SPSS Statistics uses to display the data and the output that is produced, the second step, set up the structure of the data file by defining the variables and third step, enter the data i.e. the values obtained from each participant or respondent for each variable. It provides the instructions for using Excel to enter the data. IBM SPSS Statistics presents most of the results of the statistical analyses in tables called 'pivot tables'. Under the Pivot Tables tab the students can choose the format of these tables from an extensive list. It is a matter of experimenting to find a style that best suits their needs.
