RESEARCH SUPPORT
Stata Support for Research Teams
One Dataset, One Workflow, Several Authors
Stata workflows for research teams working on a single dataset: a common project structure, documented do-files and a recorded Stata version, so that every member can follow and rerun the analysis.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Fixed Project Fee
Same-Day Response
What Does Stata Support for Research Teams Involve?
Stata support for research teams is statistical work organized so that several people can rely on one analysis without overwriting or contradicting each other. A group usually shares a dataset, a set of do-files and a list of outputs, and trouble starts when versions drift, when members run different Stata releases or when nobody can say which file produced which table. OnlineSPSS, a specialist statistical consultancy for academic, clinical and professional research, provides this support: an in-house PhD-level statistician carries out the agreed analysis in a structure the group can maintain and documents it so that each member can follow and rerun it. Which findings the team reports, and under whose names, is for the team to decide.
WHEN TO ENGAGE
Team Situations Behind a Request
A request usually comes once an informal arrangement among the group's members has stopped working.
Many Hands, One Dataset Several members edit the same data and do-files, and the results differ from one machine and one person to the next.
A New Member Joins A doctoral or postdoctoral researcher inherits the group's code and needs a documented analysis before they can contribute to it.
Mixed Statistical Experience Some members are fluent in Stata and others are not, so the analysis must be organized in a way that both can follow without guessing.
Data From Several Sites Data arrive from partner sites or groups in different formats, and one agreed preparation has to be applied to every source.
WHAT THE SUPPORT COVERS
Parts of a Shared Stata Project
Stata for research groups needs agreements about files, names and releases as much as it needs models.
Project Layout
Shared Stata do-files and folder structure follow one layout: the raw data untouched, the do-files numbered and the outputs in their own folders, with paths relative to a root folder so that the project runs on any member's machine.
Run Order
A documented sequence ensures that cleaning, analysis and table steps always execute in the same order on the same inputs, whoever starts the run.
Naming and Variable Rules
Agreed names, labels and rules for derived variables prevent two members from building two versions of the same measure.
Models the Group Shares
The shared project includes the models, carried out as part of Quantitative Data Analysis, with each specification documented so that members can see why it was chosen.
Release and Package Record
The Stata release and the user-written packages in use are written down, since members on different releases may otherwise get different results or errors from the same file.
Review Before Circulation
Before results circulate within the group or leave it, the code can be read by someone outside the team through Independent Statistical Review.
COMMON TEAM ISSUES
Team Workflow Faults That Cost Time Later
Group projects stumble over habits more often than over models, and these six faults are the ones a shared structure removes.
Several Copies of the Data Members keep their own edited copies, so the analysis sample differs between them, and the raw file is protected while every edit lives in code.
Absolute File Paths A path that begins at one person's drive fails on every other computer, so the project runs from a root folder defined once.
Do-Files Edited in Parallel Two members change the same file and the later save wins, so each file has a single owner or the group tracks changes with version control.
Results Pasted by Hand Numbers copied from the output into a manuscript go out of date when the data change, so tables are produced by code and regenerated for every draft.
Decisions Held in Memory Why a variable was recoded or an observation excluded lives in one person's head, so each decision is commented in the code with its reason.
One Person Understands the Model Only the member who fitted a model can say what it estimates, so a plain description of each model is written for the whole group.
DELIVERABLES
What the Group Receives
Each item is written for the member who joins next year as much as for the one who runs the analysis today.
Project Template The folder layout and the run-order file, set up for your group's data and ready for members to add to.
Group Do-Files Do-files for cleaning, analysis and tables, commented so that a member who did not write them can follow the logic.
Team Workflow Guide A short guide to running, extending and sharing the files, including naming rules and the Stata release used.
Codebook and Data Notes A codebook for the shared dataset and the rules used to build each derived variable.
Output Set Tables, figures and logs regenerated from the shared run file, so that every member's draft cites the same estimates from the same analysis file.
Decision Log A dated list of analytic decisions, each with its reason, which the group can extend as the project continues.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
From Four Versions of the Data to One
An illustration of how a shared structure removes disagreement between analysts working on the same dataset.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · MULTI-SITE COHORT CONSORTIUM RESEARCH · UNITED STATES
Four university sites in a children's health consortium shared one pooled cohort dataset, and each site's analyst was preparing papers from it in Stata.
When the sites compared a descriptive table for the same outcome, the numbers did not agree. Each analyst had cleaned the pooled file independently, with different rules for implausible birth weights and different handling of repeat records, and two were running different Stata releases. A single preparation do-file was written from the raw pooled data, the exclusion rules were discussed and agreed by the group, and the sample count after each rule was reported so that every site could see where it had differed. The release and the packages in use were recorded, and a run order was fixed so that each site generated the same analysis file before it began its own models.
Outcome: The consortium received a shared project folder with the run order, the agreed preparation do-file, a codebook, a workflow guide and a decision log, so that each site's paper started from the same analysis file.
This example does not describe a real client or project. We never share details of actual client work, in line with the confidentiality we promise every researcher. This illustrative example is included to show the type, scope, and standard of work involved in this kind of analysis.
SOFTWARE
Software Choices Within a Team Project
A group rarely works in one tool only, and the shared structure is designed so that members using another platform can still follow the analysis.
HOW WE ASSESS YOUR PROJECT
We Review Your Actual Research
Your assessment is based on a review of your actual research materials and analytical requirements, not a generic project category.
You Submit Your Project Details
Share whatever is available at the current stage, such as the research aim, protocol or proposal, dataset, variable list, manuscript or statistical requirements.
We Review Your Research and Define the Scope
Your statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the materials to understand the study design, research questions, data structure, analytical requirements and expected deliverables. If clarification is needed, additional documents or information can be requested before the assessment is finalized.
Your Analysis Is Completed and Delivered
Once the scope and fixed project fee are agreed, the in-house statistician completes the work and the Research Coordinator remains the communication point through delivery, with the analysis, deliverables and timeline as agreed.
RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITY
Statistical Support Within Your Own Research
The workflow and the analysis are supplied by OnlineSPSS, while the findings and who stands behind them stay with the research team.
Agreed Statistical Support OnlineSPSS provides the agreed methodological, analytical and statistical reporting support, defined in a scope that is confirmed before any work begins.
No Intellectual Contribution OnlineSPSS does not claim any intellectual contribution to your team's papers or reports. Authorship remains the researchers'.
Your Research Decisions The research questions, the division of work within the team, the interpretation and the conclusions remain yours, with overall responsibility.
Confidential Handling Research data and project details are handled confidentially, project information is not published, and an NDA is available where required.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions From Groups Working in Stata
Git, mixed Stata releases and parallel work are the three issues a group meets first when several people share one analysis.
What does a research group receive in a shared Stata project?
A shared Stata project at OnlineSPSS combines the analysis itself with a structure for it: a project layout, documented do-files, a recorded Stata release and a guide, so that every member can rerun the work. The scope is confirmed in the assessment and follows how your group works.
Is version control with Git worth using for do-files?
Often, for a group with several editors. Stata version control for research groups usually means Git, and do-files are plain text, so changes can be tracked, compared and reverted. Data files and logs usually stay out of the repository, and raw data that cannot be shared are never committed. For a small group that will not adopt Git, a dated-file convention and a single owner for each file can serve.
How should a team handle members on different Stata versions?
Record the release used for the analysis, and put the version command at the top of the run file so that commands behave as they did under that release. A dataset saved in a newer release may need to be saved in an older format for members who are on an older one. Where possible, the group agrees on one release for the final analysis.
Can members run different parts of the analysis at the same time?
Yes, provided each step has defined inputs and outputs. It is usually easier to divide work by analysis, for example the primary and the secondary outcomes, than by data stage, because members then start from one shared analysis file and cannot diverge on the sample.
How do you protect my research data and confidentiality?
Your data and project details are handled confidentially, and project information is not published. Researcher names and institutions are not used publicly without permission. An NDA is available where required and can be arranged before sensitive materials are shared. Read more about confidentiality and data security.
What happens when I request an assessment, and how long does it take?
You share your research question, design and relevant materials, such as a description of the shared dataset, the existing do-files and the software each member uses, and a statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the request and responds the same day. The analysis, deliverables, timeline and one fixed project fee are then confirmed before any work begins, so the timeline follows from the agreed scope.
Still have a question? Find more answers in our full FAQ.
NEXT STEP
Give Your Group
One Shared Analysis
Describe who works on the dataset, which files exist and which Stata releases are in use, and the review will propose a structure your members can share.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
Fixed Project Fee
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Same-Day Response
Serving Researchers Since 2014