Processing Survey Data using Excel for Import into SPSS

Hi All,

Here is a video that I have recently made on my process for getting surveymonkey data into SPSS via Excel.

There are a number of general steps illustrated, laying out the worksheets, coding questions that have mixed text and numeric answers and formatting for export to SPSS.

Near the end of the video I demonstrate the quick way to set up an SPSS data file using names autogenerated in Excel and then copy/paste the formatted data into the worksheet. 

Thesis Tools for Research Students

As it's that time of the year again(big thesis docs time), this is my essential writing tools email.   I recommend using both a reference manager and an automated proofreading tool.  Find one of each that you like and get to know it very well.  Your supervisor might thank me.... 

Every year I fix broken thesis documents that have all kinds of manually created messes.  Spend your time focusing on writing (or procrastination); but don't spend it working on reference lists or looking for typos and poor writing style.  Make your computer do the heavy lifting where it can help.

Reference Managers

Endnote  - http://libguides.scu.edu.au/content.php?pid=455662&sid=3732637 (PC & Mac. The SCU solution and it works) 

Mendeley - http://www.mendeley.com/features/reference-manager/  (Has fans among the phd's )

MS Word Reference Manager - http://libguides.scu.edu.au/content.php?pid=356517&sid=2915399

More Reference Managers

Reference Managers Comparison on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_reference_management_software 

Automated Proofreading tools

StyleWriter - http://www.editorsoftware.com/  (PC. This is the one I have the most experience with and use) 

GingerPage  http://www.gingersoftware.com/  (PC, Android, IOS ... Mac via online service) Grammerly http://www.grammarly.com/  (Web based...??) 

Whitesmoke http://www.whitesmoke.com/  (Web based... ??)

 PerfectIt - http://www.intelligentediting.com/ (Word plugin...?)

More Proofreading tools

http://www.bloggertipstricks.com/online-proofreading-tools.html

Using the tools you already have

Get familiar with the automated tools in MS Word that are there to help. (Anyone working in another editor... you're on your own)

1) Use the Style manager to style your document.

2) Use the cross-reference tool to create in-text references to tables, graphs and figures.

3) Use the "Table of Content" generator to automatically create and update your TOC. Ditto for tables of figures

4) Use the Page break and section break tools to split your sections. 

5) Use the caption tool on all tables, figures, graphs etc. 

6) Use your reference manager to automatically inject and style your Table of references. 

All these tools work together to automate the "grunt" work of producing large documents.  Use them or go crazy.  

Guides for working with Word on large docs
http://libroediting.com/blog/students-small-businesses-word-users/#wrd

More advanced Tools 

Reference Checker - Word macro to verify correctness of a reference.
http://www.goodcitations.com/

APA Style Guides
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/

Connecting to a Lab calendar 2015

Connecting to a Lab calendar in 2015

Open up your University Email client.  via http://email.scu.edu.au 

Select the Calendar View by clicking on the little grid of boxes in the top left of the layout. (This will be different on phones )

Once you have the calendar view open.... you will see a list of your calendars on the left hand side (Again... different layout on phones... try to hum along with the tune.)

As this is my calendar, you can see I have all the labs already added.... you will probably see only 1 personal calendar.


If you right click (CTRL + Click on a Mac) on the calendar list heading, you should see an option to "Open Calendar".  Select this option.

You should now see the "Open Calendar" dialogue.

If you type "COF-M.1" into the "From Directory" box... you should get some results... but more importantly you should get the "Search Contacts and Directory" option at the bottom of the list.

Click on the "Search Contacts and Directory" option to open the search tool results. You should now see the list of all the labs (you may also see some other stray room calendars that are not labs)

Select the lab calendar that you are working in. Then click "Open".  You should now see that calendar added to your calendar lists on the left hand side of the calendar layout.

You can now select the calendar (tick the tick box) to view activity in the lab and make a booking.

Obviously, you do not need to subscribe to lab calendars that you are not working in.  So you should only see one or two calendars in this view rather than all of the labs as above.

Making a booking on a Lab calendar 2015

Making a booking on a Lab calendar in 2015

Making a booking is pretty straight forward.  Your experience will be slightly different to mine as I am an administrator of the calendar... so we will see slightly different options.  But again... try to hum along.


First, find the correct calendar for the lab you are working in.  (see above)

Turn the calendar on so you can view its days. Adjust your view to either day, week or month as you prefer. 

Find the day that you wish to make the booking on and Right click on it.  You will see a "New" option.  Select this to create a new booking.
Click on the "New" item in the top left corner below the blue "office 365" bar.   You will then see the form for a new event open.

You can now fill in the form fields as you need and save the booking.

Form Fields

Event - Put YOUR NAME and some code about your participant or the activity you will be running.  DO NOT PUT YOUR PARTICIPANTS NAME IN THIS FIELD.  Use their initials at most.

Location - You must use the "Add room" button to select the Lab you wish the event to be in.

Step 1. Click the "Add room" button on the right side. This will start looking for availible rooms.

Step 2.  Find the Lab that you wish to use for the location (This list may get jammed if there are no rooms free.  You may need to close the whole booking and create a new one to get this working again)

This will add the lab as a Location and as an Attendee.  This is correct.

Attendees - If you want to schedule other people into this event... then include them and let outlook send them messages and reminders.  I would tend not to include participants email addresses as this is confidential information and should not be included in a public calendar.

Duration/Start - Set the start time and the duration as you need.  Try not to block book the lab beyond a reasonable period as this will conflict with other lab users.

Reminder - set this as you see fit.

Show As - Set this to Busy.

Calendar - This will only allow you to create the event in your personal calendar.  This is correct.  (The location step above will create the event in the lab calendar)

Repeat -  Set this to Never.

Mark as Private - Do not set this field or other lab users will not be able to see your booking.

Notes Field -  Use this for your own purposes.  DO NOT PUT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION IN THIS FIELD.  DO NOT PUT YOUR PARTICIPANTS NAME IN THIS FIELD.


When you are happy with the booking, click "Save" in the top left corner of the booking dialogue to save and close the booking editor.

You should now see the booking visible in your personal calendar and in the lab calendar.

NOTE - This new booking may take some time to Synchronise with other people.  Various times have been observed by different users.  

Editing a Booking 

Participants re-schedule.  Life gets in the road.  You need to change a booking.

First find the booking in the calendar (note if you have added yourself as an Attendee to the event, it may now be in both the lab calendar and your personal calendar... but its the same event)

Select the booking and you should see some options appear.

Click the "Edit" option to display the booking property fields and change the field values as you require. Then click "Send" in the top right corner to save and update all the attendees.

By editing the booking in the lab calendar, you should also see the changes applied to your personal calendar. 

Cancelling a Booking

Previously we had a policy of not deleting bookings that were cancelled.  This was so we could track activity in the labs.  This policy is now pointless as it creates additional chaos in the calendar system and make lab users lives more difficult.

If you need to cancel a booking.. do so. 

Simply click on the event in the calendar as above, but select the "Cancel" option rather than "Edit".  Where you have multiple Attendees, you will be given the option to send them a message about the cancellation. It would seem polite to use this opportunity.. but its up to you.

Afterword

Please let me know if you have problems following this guide or you have problems getting the results you wish from the system. The TS help desk can provide additional assistance in the use of the Outlook system if you require support.

Thanks.

Setting your timezone in Outlook Correctly

Hi All,

A number of students have had trouble with the Lab Calendars due to the fact that the timezone has defaulted to an incorrect value in their Outlook Online/Office 365 client.

Please check your settings as it makes a real mess in the Calendars.


Steps to check or set your timezone correctly.

Step 1.  Open your Office365/Outlook account.

Step2. Click on the "Cog" icon in the top right corner.

Step 3. Select the "Option" item from the menu.

Step 4. Select the "General" options set from the list on the left hand side of the screen.

Step 5. Select the "Region and time zone" item on the sub list.

Step 4.  Check or set the option in the "Current time zone" box at the bottom to "(UTC+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney"

Step 5.  Click the "Save" option above the "Region and time zone" title.

You should now have the correct timezone set and your appointments should make sense in the lab calendars.

Lab Calendars for 2015

Hi All,

We are trying a different method with the lab calendars this year... so consider it an experiment.  Please let me know if you have problems using the system.


This post has been UPDATED.  See the linked posts below for more details. 

Overview of the Lab Calendar process

Before you begin:  Please check your timezone is set correctly in Outlook ... see here for instructions

Step 1.  You will need to connect to the correct lab calendar to see what booking exist.  See this post for details on connecting to the calendars.

Step 2. You will need to make bookings in the lab calendars.  See this post for details on making bookings.

When using a lab, please remember to tag the door with the "Experiment in Progress" door hanger, so that you are not disturbed. It also serves to remind people to be a bit quiet in the corridor...

Duty of Candour in UK

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-33286601

This gives me hope for humanity.  The culture of lying by omission in organisations is incredibly destructive.  Fingers crossed that this is taken up in other professions.