Research Variables

1. Introduction

Research variables are elements within a study that can change or vary, and they are essential components in scientific research and experiments. They are the factors or conditions that researchers manipulate, control, or measure in their studies to observe their effects on the outcomes or to establish relationships among them. In StudyCrafter, there are two types of research variables with the same properties: the independent variable and the dependent variable.

2. Properties

  • Variable Name: The variable name indicates the research variable you create. In StudyCrafter, you have to define the name of the variable. The name must be different from existing variable names. The name must start with a letter or underscore (_). The name can contain Unicode letter characters, decimal digit characters, Unicode connecting characters, Unicode combining characters, or Unicode formatting characters. For more information, see C# identifier naming rules and conventions. 
  • Value Type: The value type of a research variable refers to the kind of data it represents and how it can be measured. In StudyCrafter, you can choose from different predefined value types.
    • Integer: Represents data that can be expressed as whole numbers. It is used for variables that involve counting or ranking where fractional parts are not relevant. (Examples include the number of people in a room, the number of books read in a month, or any other countable quantity.)
    • Decimal: Used for variables that require precision beyond whole numbers, including measurements or quantities that can have fractional parts. (Examples include weight, height, temperature, or any variable where decimals are necessary for accuracy.)
    • Text: This type is used for variables that consist of letters and/or numbers and cannot be reliably measured numerically. Text variables are used for categorical data that involve names, labels, or descriptions. (Examples include types of personality, brand names of products, or textual responses to open-ended questions.)
    • True/False: Represents binary variables that have only two possible values, true or false. This type is often used for yes/no questions, presence/absence indicators, or any situation where there are only two possible states or conditions for the variable.
  • Level Type: The level type of a research variable refers to the scale of measurement used to categorize the variable’s values. In StudyCrafter, you can choose from different predefined level types (restricted by the value type you choose).
    • Category (Nominal): This level of measurement is used for variables that represent categories without any intrinsic order. (Integer, Text, True/False)
    • Ordered (Ordinal): Variables at this level include categories that have a meaningful order or ranking among them but do not precisely measure the distance between categories. An example might be a rating scale from “poor” to “excellent,” where you know “excellent” is better than “good,” but you can’t quantify the exact difference between them. (Integer, Text)
    • Measurable (Interval and Ratio): This level of measurement involves numbers where both the order and the exact differences between values are meaningful. (Integer, Decimal)

3. Creating and Using Research Variables

To create research variables, please see “Research Tab” in Onboarding. To use research variables, please see “Using Variables in StudyCrafter” in Onboarding.