Data Analysis and the use of STATA

Researchers calculating complex statistics in economics, carrying out surveys for a social science project or analysing an in-depth aspect of bio-medicine come to a stage in their research when they have to collate the data and perform analysis. Data in these fields is vast and manually trying to tally them is like running a fool’s errand. This is where the use of modern applications comes in handy.

Many researchers turn to the popular statistical software package, STATA. There are different versions of this software and based on their requirements, the researchers can turn to the standard version, the multi-processor version, and a version that specialises in large databases. For training purposes, STATA even comes in a student specific module.

The interface is quite user friendly with the availability of a plethora of menus and dialog boxes to aid the user. Data analysis would not be possible unless the application had the ability to download data from a variety of formats. STATA scores well in this aspect. Researchers can download data from formats like CSV, ASCII or database. While the application has several in-built commands, it is also possible for the user to write commands which the application can then use.

The range of analytical methods and graphical outputs that users can play with on STATA is impressive. Researchers can work with linear models, time series, survival analysis, structural equation modelling, and various multi-variate methods of analysis among other options. In case the user requires a sample session, one will be provided on Mac, UNIX, or Windows.

The use of advanced applications for statistical research is important since the user cannot afford to make mistakes and at the same time cannot be expected to manually compute large volumes of data. That is why applications like STATA are gaining in popularity and researchers are well advised to utilise them to the fullest.