Chapter 12

Business Research Process (Step-7):

Editing and Coding

References:
Research Methods For Business (Uma Sekaran)
VU Book of BRM
Business Research Methods (William G. Zikmund)
Internet

Resource Person: Furqan-ul-haq Siddiqui

 The Business Research Process

Observation Theoretical
Framework Generation of
Problem
1 Preliminary Data Hypothesis 5
Broad definition
Gathering 4 Variables
problem area 2 Identification and
3
labelling
Scientific
6
Researc
h
Design
Data 7
Collection,
analysis &
NO
interpretation

Decision Report Report Deduction

Yes
Making Presentation Writing Research Question
Answered?
STAGES OF DATA ANALYSIS

EDITING

CODING
ERROR
CHECKING
AND
DATA ENTRY VERIFICATION

DATA ANALYSIS
 Editing
Editing is the process of checking data for errors
such as omissions, illegibility and inconsistency, and
correcting data where and when the need arises

Example 1: A questionnaire meant to be answered

by adults over the age of 30 years has also been
answered by some persons under the age of 30 years

Example 2: A respondent gives her birthday as 1865

or claims to have a car insurance but says she
doesnt own a car
 The editor may have to reconstruct some data. For
instance, a respondent may indicate weekly income
rather than monthly income, as requested on the
questionnaire. The editor must convert the
information to monthly data without adding any
extraneous information. The editor should bring to
light all hidden values and extract all possible
information from a questionnaire, while adding
nothing extraneous.
 REASONS FOR EDITING

QUESTIONS
CONSISTENCY COMPLETENESS ANSWERED
OUT OF ORDER

A telephone interviewer
has been instructed to
interview only registered
voters that requires
voters to be 18 years
old. If the editors
reviews of a
questionnaire indicate
that the respondent was
only 17 years of age, the
editors task is to
eliminate this obviously
incorrect sampling unit
Does your organization
have more than one
Sometimes
Internet Web site? Yes respondents
____ No. _____ If a give answers to
respondent checked (open-ended)
neither yes nor No, but questions in
indicated three Internet other questions.
Web sites, the editor may
check the yes to ensure In such cases,
that this answer is not data has to be
missing from the shifted around
questionnaire. the questions.
EDITING

FIELD EDITING

IN-HOUSE
EDITING
 Field Editing
Field Editing is a prelimary form of data editing
which is undertaken by the field supervisor on the
day of the interview with a view to finding
omissions, checking the legibility of handwriting,
and clarifying responses by respondents that are
logically or conceptually inconsistent.
Catch technical omissions (blank page)
Check legibility of hand writing.
Clarify inconsistent responses.
Supervisor can question the interviewers for clarification.
Callback if needed.
Do the interviewers need additional training.
 In-House Editing
In-House Editing is a form of data editing
which is more rigorous than field editing in
nature, and which is performed by a
centralized office staff.

For mailed questionnaire in-house editing is the only

option.
 Editing of data should be done wih a coloured
pencil and the original data must not be erased
in case it is required for future reference
 Coding
Coding involves assigning numbers or other
symbols responses can be grouped into
classes or categories

Helpsin efficient analysis of data.

Codes allow data processing in a computer.
 Coding procedure
It is a set of rules stating that certain numbers are
assigned to a variable attributes
e.g. code male as 1 and female as 2. Missing
information also needs a code.

A codebook is a document describing the coding

procedure and the location of data for variables in a
format that computers can use.
 Code Construction
For closed ended questions, the number of
categories requiring codes is determined
during questionnaire design.
Conventionally code 8 and 9 are given to
dont know (DK) and no answer (NA)
Two basic rules for code
construction
Coding categories should be exhaustive
i.e. coding category provided for every
possible response.
Coding categories should be mutually
exclusive and independent.
 Coding open-ended questions
Pre-coding easier for closed-ended questions.
Framework for classifying responses to open-ended
question not possible before data collection.
Give thought after editing.
Reduce large number of responses to a few general
categories of answers assign numerical scores
Depends upon the researchers judgment.
 Codebook
A book identifying each variable in a study and
its position in the data matrix. The book is
used to identify a variables description, code
name, and field.
 Codebook
Q/V No. Field/ col. No. Code values
-- 1-5 Study number
- 6 City
1 = Lahore
2 = Rawalpindi
3 = Karachi
7 -9 Interview No.
Sex 10 1 = Male
2 = Female
Age 11-12 Actual
Education 13 1 = Non
literate
2 = Literate
 Data Entries
The process of transforming data from the
research project to computers.
Optical scanning systems
Marked-sensed questionnaires