Beschreibung

"This manual is intended to facilitate the work with data of NEPS Starting Cohort 6 - Adults (NEPS SC6). It serves both as a first guide for getting started with the complex data and as a reference book. The primary emphasis is on practical aspects such as sample development, data structure, and variable merging. The manual is neither complete nor exhaustive, but several links to other resources are provided in the respective paragraphs. The first chapter refers to further documentation material, requirements for data access, instructions for data citation, some general rules and recommendations, and selected user services. In the second chapter, the fundamental objectives of Starting Cohort 6 and its sampling strategy are briefly introduced. The main part of this chapter is devoted to the sample development across the waves including field times, realized case numbers, survey modes, and the measurement of competency domains. The principles of Scientific Use File data-editing processes as well as conventions for naming the data files and variables are explained in the third chapter, supplemented by missing value definitions and an overview of additionally generated variables. The fourth chapter focuses on the data structure with information about data types, identifiers, and short portraits of all available datasets in the Scientific Use File. These short portraits include recommendations on how to use the dataset as well as syntax examples for merging variables of this dataset with variables from other files. The last chapter addresses some specific issues that should be noted when working with data of Starting Cohort 6. According to the cumulative release strategy - each new Scientific Use File contains the data of all previous survey waves plus the data of the currently prepared wave(s) - this manual will be regularly updated and revised. While the given information remain valid over time, at least the sample development has to be continuously complemented. In other words, the latest published manual replaces the previous ones. All relevant adjustments and extensions in future releases of this manual will be listed in a separate appendix." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))