The use of numerical/quantitative data in qualitative research studies and reports has been controversial. Prominent qualitative researchers such as Howard Becker and Martyn Hammersley have supported the inclusion of what Becker called "quasi-statistics": simple counts of things to make statements such as "some," "usually," and "most" more…

Apprentice and trainee data are reported by the State and Territory Training Authorities to NCVER (National Centre for Vocational Education Research) on a quarterly basis, starting at the September quarter of 1994. The set of data submitted that quarter is referred to as Collection 1. The sets of data submitted in subsequent quarters are referred…

Apprentice and trainee data are reported by the state and territory training authorities to the National Centre for Vocational Education and Training (NCVER) on a quarterly basis, starting at the September quarter of 1994. The set of data submitted that quarter is referred to as collection 1. The sets of data submitted in subsequent quarters are…

Good quality data is paramount for applied economic research. If the data are distorted, corresponding conclusions may be incorrect. We demonstrate how Benford's law, the distribution that first digits of numbers in certain data sets should follow, can be used to test for data abnormalities. We conduct an analysis of nine commonly used data sets…