Information on internal consulting (LMU members)
Scientists and students are supported by the StaBLab in their empirical research projects, both in experimental design and in statistical analysis. This can also gladly take place within the framework of joint research projects.
The basic equipment of StaBLab is funded by LMU. Therefore, statistical consulting for students and researchers is gladly provided as a service. For larger projects, support from the partner institute is desired. Consulting for students is additionally financed in part by central study grants.
Based on our experience, competent statistical consulting is time-consuming. For dissertations and similar projects, registration must therefore take place at least 2 months before submission.
For the consulting of students (e.g., bachelor’s and master’s theses), the 2-month deadline does not apply. However, to ensure there is sufficient time for consultation, registration should be done as early as possible.
Please fill out the following registration form. Briefly describe your project and specify your question: What are your research hypotheses and research questions that you wish to answer using statistical methods?
To make the work easier for both you and us, we have prepared a guideline for creating datasets in Excel. We hope this will help prevent possible questions. Should any further questions or uncertainties arise, please contact us.
Guidelines for Datasets
Notes on Data Entry
General:
All spreadsheet programs (OpenOffice Calc, Excel, ... ) are well suited for data collection. The tables can be read by most software packages. In general, data entry is done in the form of a table (data matrix), where the rows of the table correspond to the observation units (e.g., persons) and the columns correspond to the variables (features).
Naming of Variables (Features):
Name the variables with “Talking Names,” i.e., meaningful names. For example, “01” is far less meaningful than “Question_01.” Ideally, refer to your questionnaire. Please also make sure that the variable names are not too long.
Start the variable names with a letter.
Avoid using special characters (the underscore _ is allowed).
Write the variable names in the first row of your dataset.
Content of the Dataset:
The first column should contain the numbering of the observation units (persons). To resolve data issues later, it is useful to also note the number on the questionnaires (or data collection sheets). Important: For data protection reasons, especially in the case of personal data, anonymization must be ensured! Therefore, please remove names and similar identifying characteristics from the dataset.
For questions with multiple answer options, but without multiple answers, it is best to number the answers with digits (it is faster to type and often more useful for calculations). Always include a description of the coding here as well.
For questions that allow multiple answers, proceed as follows:
For each possible answer, a separate variable is created and coded, for example, with 0 = no and 1 = yes. Always include a description of the coding here as well.
Do not use both numbers and text within a single variable.
Missing values are best coded with a . (dot) or by leaving the field empty.
Include a description of the coding in a separate file. Including it directly below the dataset is not recommended!
Do not use cell coloring, formulas, or cell format changes (e.g., merging cells).
For repeated measurements (i.e., questions/variables collected multiple times over time), please contact us directly.
For medical studies, please contact the IBE (exception: planning and evaluation of animal experiments).
Information on consulting for companies
Under the banners of “Big Data” and “Business Analytics,” data-driven corporate decision-making is gaining in importance. Statistical methods are a central tool in this. Therefore, transferring scientific findings in the field of statistics into practice is a key objective of StaBLab.
StaBLab has many years of experience advising companies across a wide range of sectors. We work with modern statistical methods in line with the current state of the art. Please contact us by email or by phone with your questions and projects. We will then clarify feasibility, timeline, contractual terms, and costs with you on an individual basis.
Information on external consulting (non-LMU members)
For students and members of other universities, research institutions, associations, and public authorities.
StaBLab has long been successfully collaborating with partners from other universities and research institutions. In addition to larger, joint long-term projects, simple individual consultations are also possible. Furthermore, StaBLab offers training on specific statistical topics. In addition, methodologically interesting projects can be carried out within the framework of internships or bachelor’s and master’s theses in the Statistics program.
Funding: A basic consultation for students and members of other universities, research institutions, associations, and public authorities usually includes a 60-minute initial meeting as well as up to two additional consultation hours.
Please contact the secretariat for information about the current fee.
For simple inquiries, please use the registration form.
For larger research projects, individual agreements are made. Please contact Dr. Hoffmann directly.
For internship projects, there are generally no costs for the project partner.
Please note: We work with Python and R.
For SPSS or SAS, we cannot guarantee coding support, but we are happy to provide conceptual assistance where possible. Thank you for your understanding.