What is the first stage in quantitative data analysis?

In quantitative data analysis, the first stage involves preparing the data. This step is critical because it sets the groundwork for any subsequent analysis. Preparing the data entails organizing, cleaning, and formatting it to ensure that it is suitable for analysis. This process may include checking for errors, handling missing values, and ensuring that the data is in a consistent format.

Effective data preparation is essential, as inadequate preparation can lead to errors in analysis and ultimately skew results. Once the data is prepared, it can be described, tested for measurement reliability, or subjected to exploratory analysis, but without this preparatory step, those subsequent analyses may not yield valid or reliable results.