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*RESEARCH DATA SERVICES (RDS) @ Georgia State University Library

RDS ~ What We Do

The Library's RESEARCH DATA SERVICES (RDS) faculty members assist GSU students, faculty, and staff with data analysis tools & methods, data visualization, finding data & statistics, data collection, and data cleaning & management.

WAYS WE HELP:

  • VIDEO TUTORIALS and MICRO-CREDENTIAL BADGES -- data-skills trainings at your fingertips when convenient for you.
  • SESSIONS for CLASSES -- discipline-relevant data-skills trainings for both undergraduate and graduate students.
  • SESSIONS for RESEARCH TEAMS -- tailored trainings to support GSU faculty's research agendas.
  • ONE-ON-ONE HELP -- via Quick Data Help shifts offered throughout the semester, plus opportunities to schedule longer consults.

See this page for other data-skills resources and training opportunities at GSU and beyond!

RDS ~ Who We Are

Below are the RDS MEMBERS and their SPECIALTY AREAS – reach out to them directly, or schedule a Quick Data Help appointment.

Not sure who to contact? Email LIBDATAHELP@GSU.EDU and we'll get you in touch with the right person.


HALLEY Riley

Data Services Specialist – Quantitative Data
hriley@gsu.edu

(she | her)

SPECIALTY AREAS:
  • Quantitative / Statistical Tools – SAS | SPSS | Stata
  • Methods for Data Analysis – Basic & Advanced Statistical Analysis | Quantitative, Qualitative, & Mixed Methods
  • Survey Design & Administration – Survey Design | Qualtrics | Finding Existing Survey Instruments/Measurements
  • Finding Existing Datasets & Statistics – Social Sciences | Health Sciences | Public Health
  • Data Cleaning & Management – Data Cleaning, Shaping, & Reformatting
Schedule a Quick Data Help appointment with HALLEY

ÖZLEM Tunçel Gürlek

Data Services Specialist – Quantitative Data
otuncelgurlek1@gsu.edu

(she | her)

SPECIALTY AREAS:
  • Quantitative / Statistical Tools – R | Python | Stata | LaTeX
  • Methods for Data Analysis – Basic and Advanced Statistical Analysis | Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods
  • Survey Design & Administration – Qualtrics
  • Finding Existing Datasets & Statistics – Social Sciences
  • Data Cleaning & Management – Data Cleaning, Shaping, & Reformatting
Schedule a Quick Data Help appointment with ÖZLEM

ASHLEY Rockwell

Data Literacy & Learning Specialist – Undergraduate & Data Viz
arockwell3@gsu.edu

(she | her)

SPECIALTY AREAS:
  • Quantitative / Statistical Tools – SPSS | Stata
  • Data Visualization – Tableau | Social Explorer
  • Methods for Data Analysis – Basic Statistical Analysis | Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods
  • Survey Design & Administration – Survey Design | Qualtrics
  • Finding Existing Datasets & Statistics – Social Sciences
  • Teaching with Data & Statistics – Data Literacy Tutorials & Lesson Planning for Undergraduates
Schedule a Quick Data Help appointment with ASHLEY

MANDY Swygart-Hobaugh

Department Head & Data Services Specialist – Qualitative Data
aswygarthobaugh@gsu.edu

(she | her)

SPECIALTY AREAS:
  • Quantitative / Statistical & Qualitative Tools – SPSS | NVivo | Taguette
  • Methods for Data Analysis – Basic Statistical Analysis | Quantitative, Qualitative, & Mixed Methods
  • Survey Design & Administration – Survey Design | Qualtrics | Finding Existing Survey Instruments/Measurements
  • Finding Existing Datasets & Statistics – Social Sciences
  • Data Cleaning & Management – Data Management Plans (DMPs)
Schedule a Quick Data Help appointment with MANDY!

RDS ~ Data Analysis Tools & Methods Help

Data Analysis Software
TOOLS for DATA ANALYSIS

Quantitative/Statistical

Qualitative


METHODS for DATA ANALYSIS and RESEARCH DESIGN

NOTE: (1) The examples below are not exhaustive; (2) Our primary focus is helping to implement analytic methods, not necessarily teaching underlying methodological principles.

  • Basic Statistical Analysis 

    • Descriptive Statistics | Inferential Bivariate Statistics (e.g., ANOVA, t tests, correlation, chi-square) | Linear Regression

  • Advanced Quantitative Analysis 

    • Generalized Linear Models | Time-Series Analysis & Multilevel Models | Multiple Imputation | Multivariable Regression Analysis (Logistic, Ordinal, Multinomial) | Hierarchical Linear Models | Structural Equation Models | Mediation and Moderation Analysis | Complex Survey Data Analysis

  • Quantitative Research Design 

    • Experimental & Quasi-Experimental Design | Evaluation Methods | Survey Design and Administration | Medical Record Extraction | Systematic Review Methods (data analysis component)

  • Qualitative Data Analysis 

    • Interview Guide Design | Data Analysis Techniques | Grounded Theory Methods

  • Mixed Methods 

RDS ~ Data Visualization Help

Mapping & Data Visualization
DATA VISUALIZATION

RDS ~ Finding Data & Statistics Help

Finding Data
FINDING DATA & STATISTICS

RDS ~ Data Collection Help

Survey Design
SURVEYS (Quantitative & Mixed Methods)

INTERVIEWS (Qualitative)

  • Resources for Interview Guide Design 

RDS ~ Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Data Help

GENERATIVE AI & DATA HELP

See Scope of Services Guidelines re: AI

RDS ~ Data Cleaning & Management Help

Data Management Planning
DATA CLEANING & MANAGEMENT
  • Data cleaning, shaping, & reformatting 

  • Data management plans (DMP) for research grant proposals -- support using the DMPTool for writing a DMP, reviewing draft DMPs, and implementing DMPs 

RDS ~ Scope of Services

RDS – Scope of Services Guidelines

The RDS Department offers support to Georgia State University (GSU) students, faculty, and staff in the areas of data analysis tools & methods, data visualization, finding data & statistics, data collection, and data cleaning & management. We provide this support via recorded tutorials, micro-credential badges, custom sessions for classes and research teams, and one-on-one help.

RDS assistance is focused on secondary / supplementary support for troubleshooting specific software/coding or methods needs. We are here to empower you to do the work yourself for the task at hand and for the future, not to do the work for you. If a need is beyond our scope of expertise or capacity for assistance, we commit to directing you to alternative resources -- such as other campus entities; online resources like SAGE Research Methods (SRM), O'Reilly for Higher Education eBooks and multi-media resources for software/coding tools supportour online guides, and our recorded tutorials; print resources for checkout from the University Library; and so on.

Partners in Research

Partnering with Students: Academic department faculty (e.g., course professors/instructors, thesis/dissertation advisors, etc.) are students’ primary resource for support in the areas of research methods, data analysis and visualization, and statistical/quantitative and qualitative analysis software assistance. The RDS Department is here to supplement that support. RDS members will refer students back to their academic department for assistance when the support being sought is the primary responsibility of academic department faculty or the home department.

Partnering with Faculty: We offer support to faculty as well in the areas of research methods, data analysis and visualization, and statistical/quantitative and qualitative analysis software assistance. We do trainings with research teams and individuals -- please contact us!

Custom Sessions for Classes and Research Teams

RDS members are available for tailored instruction for classes and research teams, including software demonstrations and supplementary overviews of statistical and qualitative methods. Such sessions are generally offered 1-2 times per semester and are supplementary to course instruction or training by research team leads. Requests for custom sessions should be made at least two weeks prior to the anticipated session date. If at all possible, course instructors or research team leads should be present for sessions run by RDS members. RDS members reserve the right to decline invitations for custom sessions (e.g., if the desired topic is outside of RDS’s expertise or requested at too short of notice).

One-on-One Consultations

Please schedule one-on-one appointments at least 48 business hours in advance. This gives us enough time to align your request with our staff's availability and ensure you are matched with the most suitable person to assist you. Instructors: RDS members cannot be expected to meet individually with every course student for one-on-one help. These individual consultations are meant to supplement course-based instruction, not replace it.

Troubleshooting Specific Software/Coding or Methods Needs? Yes! Generalized Statistics, Methodological, or Software/Coding Tutors? No.

Due to the limited capacity of our department, we generally limit our support for statistical or research methods needs when they are tied to a software/coding platform. We will use our discretion to determine if a statistical/methods need without a software/coding component is within our scope of expertise and capacity for assistance. We also frequently recommend resources to aid in methodological decisions, help learners understand the implications of these choices, and assist them in implementing these choices within a supported software package. However, please note that:

  • We do not conduct analyses on behalf of users. 
  • We are not responsible for erroneous methodological choices made by authors or students.
  • Our support does not include step-by-step homework help or tutoring support services.

Prior to an appointment with an RDS member, we may direct you to our recorded tutorials or other resources to gain the foundational skills for using various analytical software/coding platforms or methods. If after consulting these materials you continue to have need for support, we encourage you to contact us with your questions and to potentially schedule an appointment for one-on-one help. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

RDS recognizes the potential of AI tools in enhancing research, particularly for debugging code and exploring alternative measurements and data analysis methods. However, we encourage students and faculty to use AI responsibly to foster independent learning and skill development in coding and data analysis.

  • We strongly advise against sharing sensitive or proprietary data with external AI platforms, as they may retain such data for training purposes, which could compromise data confidentiality.
  • RDS is not responsible for any issues, breaches, or other consequences resulting from the use of AI platforms or the sharing of data with them.

For secure AI-supported assistance, we recommend utilizing Georgia State University's AI resources, including the Copilot subscription, which ensures data protection. For more information, visit GSU IIT’s AI with Intention page.

Managing Service Expectations

When RDS members determine that a student or faculty's assistance expectations have gone beyond the scope of appropriate support services in terms of content or frequency, they will communicate as such to the individual. If the individual has further questions or concerns, they may contact the RDS Department Head, Dr. Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh.

Partners in Intellectual Contributions

When RDS members determine that their support for a research project or teaching curriculum has resulted in substantive intellectual contributions, they will negotiate the appropriate recognition for their intellectual contributions (e.g., co-authorships, acknowledgments, thesis/dissertation committee membership, copyright/creative commons privileges, etc.).

Non-GSU Researchers

Non-GSU researchers are welcome to view our online recorded tutorials and use our online guides. RDS members do not offer one-on-one assistance (either face-to-face, via email or other virtual modes, or over the phone) to non-GSU researchers because it is not sustainable for them to open their one-on-one services up that widely.