Quantitative Methods for Historians: A Guide to Research, Data, and Statistics

Integrating the use of the statistical packages SAS and SPSS with the quantitative method, the authors discuss techniques for defining a problem, proceed to the building of a data set and the use of statistical methods, and conclude with the interpretation of results. The data set section concentrates on the basics of formalized research, discussing the coding process and the more complicated problems of data transformation and linkage. The statistical parts systematically build upon traditional fundamentals and introduce new analytical techniques for qualitative variables.

Intended as a working introduction to quantitative methods, this guide also provides additional information on advanced statistical techniques and discusses questions of historical computing, reflecting critically on the proper role of quantitative methods.