title: Code books--a critical link in the research process.
abstract: There is no one right way to construct a code book; however, it is critical that all the elements needed to understand and work with the data be present. By constructing a comprehensive code book before the data are collected, the investigator is assured of preparing for all aspects of data analysis. It is important to remember that one cannot be too compulsive in planning for data analysis. The findings of the study are discovered through the analysis of the data. The purpose of the study is to be able to describe the findings in a cogent manner. If the data are not systematically organized, they will be useless to the investigator.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lobo
mesh_terms: D000043:Abstracting and Indexing / Q000379:methods*; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D009737:Nursing Records; D015399:Nursing Research