Data Analysis – Telling Stories

By Theong MC
 Your data story should:
 reporting and discussing your findings, deal with the body of the
thesis
 be simple, brief and relevant
 have a beginning, middle and end
 have a ‘punchline’, a discovery
 have data and evidence to support the story (but only to support
the story)
 be specific and appropriate to the research study
 offer improvement and solutions
 illustrate how it might be relevant to a wider audience
 Quantitative analysis
 tables, graphs and diagrams
 words to guide readers through your data:
 Describe the sample.
 Remind the reader of the research question being addressed, or the
objectives.
 Tell the reader what you want him/her to get from the data.
 State which differences are significant.
 Highlight the important trends and differences/comparisons
 Qualitative analysis
 large quantity of written material
 Structure is very important
 sections and subsections reflect your thematic analysis of the data
 Writing the chapter
 Having an introductory paragraph which explains the chapter
 Referencing the analysis with the literature review. Cross referencing
is a good way to relate the common points that the researches has
come up between analysis and literature review.
 Following a theme based structure similar to that followed in the
literature review
 Giving your judgment and critical view for the results that the analysis
throws up.
 Avoiding jargon and giving a definition of technical terms used in the
analysis
Example 1

 The survey has been targeted for 180 potential participants

across states in Malaysia. However, only 10 participants
responded to the invitation to participate within the defined time
frame.
Example 2

 Out of the total survey participants, 77.5% are working full

time, 58.8% of the participants are earning above RM48, 000
monthly household incomes, and 72.6% of participants are living
in either personally owned or family owned houses. This reflects
on the better economic status and living standards of the
participants.