This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (23)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

II. Formats and Coding Systems for Data Processing

Alvan R. Feinstein, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1970;126(6):1053-1067.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In designing a format and system for coding data to be processed by electronic methods, a taxonorist must make a sequence of intellectual and pragmatic decisions. The intellectual decisions, which were described in the previous communication of this pair,¹ deal with ascertaining the purpose of the procedures, choosing the classes of data to be coded, contemplating categories within each class, and formulating criteria that will be used to convert the raw data into the selected categories. This communication is devoted

Outline

1. Types of format
   
   1. Unstructured format
      
   2. Specificational format
      
   3. Sectional format
      
   
   
2. Number of formats
   
   1. Types of field
      
      1. The "coding taxonomy"
         
      2. Contingency fields
         
         1. Supplemental categories in a class
            
         2. Branching classes
            
         
         
      
      
   2. External restrictions in length
      
      1. Capacity of computer
         
      2. The electric sorter
         
      
      
   
   
3. The expression of categories
   
   1. Types of citation
      
   2. Partitions of a class of data
      
      1. Characteristics of categories
         
         1. Types of categories
            
         2. Number of categories
            
         3. Range of categories
            
         
         
      2. Principles of partition
         
         1. Adequate range
            
         2. Shades
            
         
         
      
      
   
   

Author Affiliations
New Haven, Conn

From the Eastern Research Support Center and the Department of Medicine, West Haven (Conn) Veterans Administration Hospital; and the Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication April 8, 1970; accepted April 21.

Reprint requests to 333 Cedar St, New Haven, Conn 06510 (Dr. Feinstein).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?