When creating a report or
series of tables and charts that other researchers will use as a
source of numeric data, the preferred organizing principles will be
quite different from those used in papers to describe patterns or
test hypotheses. For data reference sources, make it as easy as
possible for researchers
studying a wide variety of research questions to find the variables
they need. Published or online data sources typically aren’t
accompanied by an explanation of the organizing criteria, so arrange
the variables using familiar and self-guiding principles.
