To ensure a smooth and efficient consultation, it’s important to provide your data in a format that allows for quick and accurate analysis. Properly prepared data saves time and helps us focus on delivering high-quality statistical support. Follow the guidelines below to format your data correctly before your consultation.

Preferred data formats

  • Accepted formats: Microsoft Excel, Access, or common statistical software formats (e.g., SPSS, Stata, R). Other spreadsheet or database formats may be acceptable, but please contact us to confirm.
  • Unaccepted formats: Data submitted in text editor formats (such as Word) cannot be processed.

Formatting your data

  1. Rows and columns:

    • Each row should represent an individual subject (e.g., patient, animal, plot, etc.).
    • Each column should represent a variable (e.g., weight, blood pressure, price, category, time to failure, etc.).

  2. Variable names:

    • Keep variable names short—up to 8 characters—without spaces or special symbols (e.g., %, /, &, etc.).
    • Provide a separate list with these short variable names and their full meanings.

  3. One value per cell:

    • Each cell in your data sheet should contain only one value. Avoid multiple values or combined information within a single cell.

  4. Text values:

    • For any variables you intend to analyze, do not use text values.
    • For categorical data (e.g., gender), use numerical codes (e.g., 1 for male, 2 for female). Provide a separate table listing these codes and their meanings.
    • Text can be used for non-analytical fields like patient IDs (not names) or comments.

  5. Handling missing data:

    • For missing values, either leave them blank or provide a separate list explaining how missing data are coded in your file.

Why Proper formatting matters

Providing data in the correct format helps us analyze it efficiently and reduces additional work required to reformat or clean the dataset. Time spent reorganizing data may increase consultation costs. By following these guidelines, you help us focus on the core statistical analysis, saving you both time and resources.

For further questions or clarification on data preparation, please contact us at stathelp@imperial.ac.uk.