This tutorial has two objectives. The first objective is to demonstrate the process of cleaning a raw data file from start to finish. The second objective is to demonstrate some features of R which are critical for writing efficient code and the syntax for a number of commands needed for data cleaning. The tutorial concludes with a demonstration of how to reshape data from long to wide format.
To run this tutorial you will need R Studio version 1.0 or higher. Download the R cleaning_raw_data.zip file and unzip the contents into a folder on your Desktop. Double-click to open the cleaning_raw_data_XX.Rmd file using R Studio. As you see each grey section of code in the file viewer pane, click on the green arrow to run the commands. You will see the results in the window below.
This tutorial was originally authored by the Strategic Data Project.
OpenSDP is an online, public repository of analytic code, tools, and training intended to foster collaboration among education analysts and researchers in order to accelerate the improvement of our school systems. The community is hosted by the Strategic Data Project, an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. We welcome contributions and feedback.