A Gentle Introduction to Stata, Revised Sixth Edition

Alan C. Acock';s A Gentle Introduction to Stata, Revised Sixth Editionis aimed at new Stata users who want to become proficient in Stata.After reading this introductory text, new users will be able to notonly use Stata well but also learn new aspects of Stata. Acock assumes that the user is not familiar with any statisticalsoftware. This assumption of a blank slate is central to the structureand contents of the book. Acock starts with the basics; for example,the part of the book that deals with data management begins with acareful and detailed example of turning survey data on paper into aStata-ready dataset. When explaining how to go about basic exploratorystatistical procedures, Acock includes notes that will help the readerdevelop good work habits. This mixture of explaining good Stata habitsand explaining good statistical habits continues throughout the book.Acock is quite careful to teach the reader all aspects of using Stata.He covers data management, good work habits (including the use ofbasic do-files), basic exploratory statistics (including graphicaldisplays), and analyses using the standard array of basic statisticaltools (correlation, linear and logistic regression, and parametric andnonparametric tests of location and dispersion). He also successfullyintroduces some more advanced topics such as multiple imputation andmultilevel modeling in a very approachable manner. Acock teaches Statacommands by using the menus and dialog boxes while still stressing thevalue of Stata commands and do-files. In this way, he ensures that alltypes of users can build good work habits. Each chapter has exercisesthat the motivated reader can use to reinforce the material.The tone of the book is friendly and conversational without ever beingglib or condescending. Important asides and notes about terminologyare set off in boxes, which makes the text easy to read without anyconvoluted twists or forward referencing. Rather than splitting topicsby their Stata implementation, Acock arranges the topics as they wouldappear in a basic statistics textbook; graphics and postestimation arewoven into the material naturally. Real datasets, such as theGeneral Social Surveys from 2002, 2006, and 2016, are usedthroughout the book.The focus of the book is especially helpful for those in thebehavioral and social sciences because the presentation of basicstatistical modeling is supplemented with discussions of effect sizesand standardized coefficients. Various selection criteria, such assemipartial correlations, are discussed for model selection. Acockalso covers a variety of commands available for evaluating reliabilityand validity of measurements.The revised sixth edition is fully up to date for Stata 17, includingupdated discussion and images of Stata's interface and modern commandsyntax. In addition, examples include new features such as thetable command and collect suite for creating andexporting customized tables as well as the option for creating graphswith transparency. Read more