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Step Six: Organize and Analyze Data

Once your data has been collected, it needs to be "cleaned." Cleaning research data involves editing, coding and the tabulating results. To make this step easier, start with a simply designed research instrument or questionnaire.

Some helpful tips for organizing and analyzing your data are listed below.

• Look for relevant data that focuses on your immediate market needs.
• Rely on subjective information only as support for more general findings of objective research.
• Analyze for consistency; compare the results of different methods of your data collection. For example, are the market demographics provided to you from the local media outlet consistent with your survey results?
• Quantify your results; look for common opinions that may be counted together.
• Read between the lines. For example, combine U.S. Census Bureau statistics on median income levels for a given location and the number of homeowners vs. renters in the area.

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