An introduction to data analysis and interpretation

Citation

White L & Edwards A (2000) An introduction to data analysis and interpretation. In: White L & Edwards A (eds.) Conservation research in the African rain forests: a technical handbook. New York, NY, USA: Wildlife Conservation Society, pp. 30-50. http://bioko.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/whiteedwards2000.pdf

Abstract
First paragraph: Data collection is not an end in itself. Data are not collected just so they can be filed away. After data are collected they need to be analysed and interpreted, and then made available to fellow managers or researchers in the form of reports or publications. Unless you complete all these stages you will have wasted your time. Data analysis is the process of taking the numbers collected in the field and summarising them into a numerical or graphic form that is easy to interpret. This analysis or summary is called the ‘results'. Results alone do not have biological meaning until they are put in a biological context. Data interpretation is the process of giving biological meaning to the results. This is done by evaluating the results in light of past research, and in the context of your own knowledge of the biological system you are studying. The process of determining, «what do the data tell me?», and just as importantly, «what do the data not tell me?», makes data analysis and interpretation interesting and challenging.