Why this chapter belongs here¶
Real datasets arrive with metadata, gaps, quality flags, outliers, and choices that affect the scientific claim. This chapter will establish a reproducible workflow for obtaining, documenting, inspecting, and preparing observational data before model fitting.
Planned scope¶
retrieving and recording the source of a public dataset;
preserving raw data separately from derived analysis products;
interpreting quality flags and missing values;
making cleaning choices explicit and testable;
using exploratory plots to find structure and failure modes before fitting.
For now, use Chapter 11 as early reference material for table operations and Part II for the completed foundations that support later data work.