How should I enter variables so tables and Methods come out right?
Overview
Variables describe your sources: one row per source, one column per attribute, such as Site, Year or Role. Tables, group comparisons, figure labels and the Methods draft all read these values, so consistent entries pay off. A source stands for a participant or a case only when your study uses it that way.
What to do
- Use Number and Document to check which source you are editing. Number is a reference, not a participant count.
- Use one column per attribute, with a clear name and a unit where needed.
- Spell the same category the same way: Student, student and Students become three groups.
- Enter numbers consistently, without units or words in some cells. Use one date format.
- Leave a cell empty when there is no value. Empty cells are counted as missing. Text such as Unknown or N/A is kept as a category, so use it only if that is what you mean.
- A value such as ChatGPT, Gemini counts as one category. Use separate columns if you need them counted separately.
- Enter a classification only when you can explain how you assigned it.
- Keep how you selected, coded and translated your material, and your ethics, in Project Details, not in variables.
- Variables can also name your files in figures: see “Can figures show participant variables instead of file names?”.
- After changing values, save them and regenerate Methods so it matches.