Providing the basic collection of statistical procedures used by social scientists, A Gentle Introduction to Stata presents the fundamental tools to learn Stata. The book begins with showing how to enter and manage data as well as perform basic descriptive statistics and graphical analysis. It then examines standard statistical procedures from a t test, nonparametric tests, measures of association, multiple regression, and logical regression. The book ends with guidelines for future work and advanced topics. This learning source is an excellent introduction for those with little statistical software experience while also a useful reference for more knowledgeable statisticians by offering a detailed index of commands.

Discovering Structural Equation Modeling Using Stata is devoted to Stata’s sem command and all it can do. You’ll learn about its capabilities in the context of confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, structural equation modeling, longitudinal models, and multiple-group analysis. The book describes each model along with the necessary Stata code, which is parsimonious, powerful, and can be modified to fit a wide variety of models. Downloadable data sets enable you to run the programs and learn in a hands-on way. A particularly exciting feature of Stata is the SEM Builder. This graphic interface for structural equation modeling allows you to draw publication-quality path diagrams and fit the models without writing any programming code. When you fit a model with the SEM Builder, Stata automatically generates the complete code that you can save for future use. Use of this unique tool is extensively covered in an appendix, and brief examples appear throughout the text. Requiring minimal background in multiple regression, this practical reference is designed primarily for those new to structural equation modeling. Some experience with Stata would be helpful but is not essential. Readers already familiar with structural equation modeling will also find the book’s State code useful.

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