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:
See this page for other data-skills resources and training opportunities at GSU and beyond!
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(she | her)
ÖZLEM Tunçel Gürlek(she | her)
ASHLEY Rockwell(she | her)
MANDY Swygart-Hobaugh(she | her)
Quantitative/Statistical
Qualitative
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
Tableau data visualization
GIS resources and ArcGIS
For access to ArcGIS Business Analyst and ArcGIS Community Analyst, please contact John Tougas in the Geosciences Department.
Social sciences data (ICPSR, US census data, qualitative data)
Health sciences and public health data
Tools for creating surveys / collecting survey data:
Finding existing surveys/measurement scales/tests for data collection
INTERVIEWS (Qualitative)
Generative AIs and Your Research
AI for Literature Review
AI for Data Analysis and Visualization
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
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 support, our online guides, and our recorded tutorials; print resources for checkout from the University Library; and so on.
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!
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).
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
