How can SPSS help me document my data?

The codebook command was introduced in SPSS version 17. It provides information about the
variables in a dataset, such as the type, variable labels, value labels, as well as the number of cases in each
level of categorical variables and means and standard deviations of continuous variables. This
information can be as important as the data themselves, because it helps to give meaning to the
data. Also, this information can help you distinguish between two similar datasets.

SPSS Survey Code Book

 When you conduct a survey, typically you get responses like "yes" "no" and "no response".
Instead of working with these actual responses, assign numerical values to each possible
response and work with numerical data.

Assigned Values

Survey Answer Numerical Value

No 1

Yes 2

No Response 9

 Ask questions that can be answered with a few responses for each question and code up all
possible responses (including missing). For example, you might ask "Which grocery store is
your favorite one in Southeast Wisconsin?" and make a table of possible responses.

All Possible Responses

Survey Answer Numerical Value

Sentry 1

PickNSave 2

Woodman’s 3

Audi 4

Wal-Mart SuperCenter 5
 Other 6

Missing (no response) 9

 Note that each variable listed in the code book is represented by a column in the SPSS dataset.
Each ―case‖ or ―observation‖ (such as a survey respondent) is represented by a row.

 Do not ask open ended questions such as "What are the three things you like best about
University of NAIROBI?" You might get one hundred different answers from one hundred
people.

 Assign a unique ID to each respondent. After you code and enter the data, you might find that
you typed the age of a college respondent as 97 years old. If each respondent has a unique ID,
you can backtrack from the data for that unique ID to the actual responses for that unique ID
and fix the data error.

 Suppose you will conduct a survey of 150 students. You will record their gender and response
to two questions "Did you surf online yesterday?" and "Did you watch the news on television
yesterday?" The answers can be yes or no.

 Make a code book similar to the following for the layout of the data file. Variable Names
should be 8 characters or less. Under the Possible Values column put all possible values. The
last two columns are used to decide the actual layout of the data in the data file.

Variable Name Possible Values

ID values 1 to 150

GENDER 1=male 2=female 99=missing

Q1 1=yes 2=no 99=missing

Q2 1=yes 2=no 99=missing

 Prepare the code book before you conduct the survey. You might have to modify some survey
questions. Suppose you are conducting a survey of Internet surfing habits. Originally, you think
you should have a question "How many hours a week do you surf online?" and let the
respondent answer with the number of hours. You realize that this will give you too many
possible responses and restrict the responses to ―Generally, I do not surf online‖, "Less than five
hours", "Between five and ten hours", and so on.

 If you are surveying a sample, be sure the sample is random and representative of the
population. For example, if you are surveying public high school principals in Wisconsin, do
not send your survey to only principals in Walworth County. Consult one of the books written
on designing and analyzing surveys for more information on this topic.
Data Entry

You need to input the data into the computer. Your options include:

 You can use SPSS 13.0 for Windows (or the latest 14.0 version). When you start SPSS, you
will see a Data Editor (spreadsheet) window. Type the data into the spreadsheet, and analyze
the data using the pull-down menus.

 You can enter the data into a spreadsheet on your personal computer. Then you can open the
saved EXCEL file using SPSS 13.0.

Data Analysis

 Use variable labels and value labels (SPSS) in your program so all output tables are completely
described.

 Run frequencies of all variables first. Pull down the Analyze menus, choose Descriptive
Statistics, and then slide over to Frequencies. This opens a dialog box. Select all the variables,
except ID, and then click on the arrow button to move the highlighted variables from the
left-hand box to the right-hand box. Don’t click on OK yet. Instead, you should click on the
Statistics button and select mean, media, and mode as well as Std. Deviation. Click on
Continue and then click OK. This allows you to validate your data. For example, if the
possible responses for gender are 1 for male, 2 for female, and 99 for missing, then if you have
a response of 8, you know you have an error in your data entry. Possibly the data was copied
incorrectly. Fix all data entry errors and rerun frequencies.

 Examine the output of descriptive statistics to learn more about your data.

 Continue with any further analyses (such as Crosstabs, t-tests, or regression analysis).

SPSS Survey Code Book (an Example)

Variable Label and Description Variable Name Variable Width

I.D. Number
01— ID 4

Satisfaction with Curriculum Q1 3

1 Strongly disagree
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7 Strongly agree
99 not ascertained

Satisfaction with Instruction Q2 3

1 Strongly disagree
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7 Strongly agree
99 not ascertained
Satisfaction with Internship and Q3 3
Work Experience Opportunities
1 Strongly disagree
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7 Strongly agree
99 not ascertained

Satisfaction with Financial Assistance Q4 3

and Scholarship Opportunities and
Availability
1 Strongly disagree
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7 Strongly agree
99 not ascertained
Satisfaction with Equipment and Facilities Q5 3
1 Strongly disagree
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7 Strongly agree
99 not ascertained

Satisfaction with Advisement Q6 4

1 Strongly disagree
2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7 Strongly agree
99 not ascertained

Academic Status Q7 4
1 Freshman
2 Sophomore
3 Junior
4 Senior
99 not ascertained

Self-reported GPA (A.BC) Q8 5

1.00 – just key-in the self-reported GPA (up to 2 decimal points)
99 not ascertained

Respondent's gender Q9 4
1 male
 0 female
99 not ascertained

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Discussion Questions:

1. What additional questions are appropriate to be included in the questionnaire?

2. Do you have any concerns/comments toward the code book?