{"id":994,"date":"2023-03-16T09:24:14","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T09:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=994"},"modified":"2023-05-03T16:23:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T15:23:39","slug":"getting-started-with-data-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2023\/03\/16\/getting-started-with-data-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting started with data analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

One skill <\/span>you\u2019ll<\/span> need to use a lot at university is data analysis, especially when you come to work on a research project.<\/span> The Skills Centre has created<\/span> a new resource<\/span> on <\/span>MySkills<\/span> to help get you <\/span>data-driven<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is data analysis important?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Collecting and analysing data basically allows you to investigate a hypothesis and reach an informed decision about it. Analysis and interpretation give your collected data meaning and really bring it to life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data analysis is also an increasingly valuable employability skill. It is predicted that jobs for data analysts will grow by 23% from now until 2031 (US, BLS, 2022), with many employers needing staff who can understand and interpret data in order to predict market trends and keep their businesses competitive.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For some people, analysing data may seem like a big challenge, especially if you haven\u2019t done much of it in the past or you don\u2019t feel confident with numbers. It is a complex skill, but well worth taking the time to develop during your studies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data analysis guide<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The new guide on MySkills aims to provide an introduction to data and data analysis and brings useful resources together in one place.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It includes videos explaining the difference between <\/span>quantitative and qualitative data, the importance of interpreting data, and some key tools you can use to organise and analyse your data. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The guide links to resources and blogs from the Mathematics Resources Centre (MASH) to help you plan and get started with a quantitative investigation. It also links to the Library\u2019s guide on <\/span>programming, data analysis and data visualisation languages and platforms.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Further support\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

MASH can help with each step of your data analysis. From installing statistical programs on your personal computer to interpreting your results. If you have problems along the way, such as your data doesn\u2019t meet the assumptions of the test you would like to use, MASH can help with that too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The daily <\/span>MASH drop-in<\/span><\/a> is a great place to go to ask a quick data question at any stage of your research project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also book a 30-minute appointment with the MASH <\/span>Statistics Advisory Service<\/span><\/a> which provides statistics advice for students doing project work like final year, field study or research projects, and can also offer help with statistical packages.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got any feedback about the data analysis guide, we\u2019d love to hear from you! Please get in touch with us at <\/span>academicskills@bath.ac.uk<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One skill you\u2019ll need to use a lot at university is data analysis, especially when you come to work on a research project. The Skills Centre has created a new resource on MySkills to help get you data-driven.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1438,"featured_media":996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[63,62],"tags":[261,264,266,263,262,267,268,265],"class_list":["post-994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employability","category-maths-and-statistics","tag-data-analysis","tag-excel","tag-nvivo","tag-qualitative-data","tag-quantitative-data","tag-r","tag-rstudio","tag-spss"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/03\/data-800x450-1.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1376,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2024\/12\/07\/exploring-linkedin-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":994,"position":0},"title":"Exploring LinkedIn Learning","author":"Lola Osinoiki","date":"December 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"While my lectures provide core subject knowledge, LinkedIn Learning offers focused, practical courses that have already helped me approach my studies and build employability skills. How LinkedIn Learning Works LinkedIn Learning courses typically begin with an introductory section, followed by chapters broken into bite-sized video lessons. These are often accompanied\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Employability"","block_context":{"text":"Employability","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/employability\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1763,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/02\/19\/non-significant-p-values\/","url_meta":{"origin":994,"position":1},"title":"Non significant p-values","author":"Ruth Hand","date":"February 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh no! No significant results, your project is ruined. Ruth Hand from the Mathematics Resources Centre (MASH) offers a fresh perspective and maybe it's not so bad after all. 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