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VAR VERSION NES VERSION NUMBER
COLUMNS 1 - 2
NUMERIC
NO MISSING DATA CODES
Release of this dataset constitutes release of the following
components:
1) DATA - ASCII data file; SAS, SPSS transport (portable) files
2) CODEBOOK - ASCII intro, var documentation, appendix files
3) .SAS/.SPS - data definition files (i.e. program/syntax files)
for edited use with ASCII data
Because any one of these components may be revised for correction
without revision to other components, each component is assigned an
independent version number whenever revision is made to that component
for release. Variable VVERSION (columns 1-2 in the raw data file)
records the version number of the "data" component, unrelated to
the version number of the codebook files or of the SAS/SPSS data
definition files.
In general, the recorded version number that appears within a file
is limited to documenting only the component to which the file belongs.
The version number of a codebook file (including this file) appears
in the first line of the file; the version number of a SAS/SPSS data
definition file appears in the 1st line comment. In data files
(1 above), the variable VVERSION is always first.
Note: Files which together comprise a component are never released
separately; even when only 1 file within a component is actually
revised, all the files constituting that component are assigned the
same, new version number.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR THE CUMULATIVE DATA FILE: Addition of data from
the latest NES time-series study to existing Cumulative Data File
data results in a new dataset rather than a new 'version' of existing
component files. The variable VDSETNO (see next variable) is revised
each time the range of NES study years integrated into the Cumulative
Data File is incremented. Variable VVERSION tracks changes made to
component files from a Cumulative Data File dataset covering a
specific range of years.
For more information about releases of specific versions of
dataset component files, see the National Election Studies
Web site at http://www.umich.edu/~nes.
==============================
Walter Mebane
2003-02-17