STATAU Help Guide

Quick Start

STATAU is a browser-based empirical analysis platform. Without writing code, you can upload data and run descriptive statistics, regression, time-series, causal-inference, DID, and other analyses, then export publication-style result tables directly.

The Site's Four Workspaces

Complete Your First Analysis in Four Steps

Account

Registration and Login

• Sign Up: enter a username and email address, verify the email code, and complete the slider CAPTCHA.
• Password Login: username or email address plus password.
• Email Code Login: if you forget your password, use this method to log in, then change the password in the User Center.

What You Can Do in the User Center

Language Settings

Switch between Chinese and English from the right side of the navigation bar. Guest preferences are saved in the browser, while signed-in users' preferences are saved to their accounts and synced across devices.

Data Analysis Workspace

Data Sources

• Local Upload: supports .csv, .xlsx, .xls, .dta, .sav. Files can be up to 1 GB. Variable types are detected automatically after upload, and invalid variable names are renamed with a notice.
• Sync from Data Processing: clean the data in the Data Processing Workspace, then sync it with one click without uploading it again.
• Merge from the Database: on the Database page, merge built-in variables into your data by keys such as company and year.

Data Preparation Tips

• Use a standard rectangular table: one observation per row, one variable per column, and variable names in the first row.
• Use concise English variable names where possible, and preferably save CSV files in UTF-8 encoding.
• Before panel, DID, or time-series analysis, prepare the entity ID, time ID, policy indicator, and other required columns. Leave missing values blank rather than entering explanatory text.

Analysis Module Overview

The workspace contains 40 modules in six categories. The list below gives each category and a brief purpose so you can find it in the interface. For guidance on selecting variables, interpreting results, and comparing with Stata, open the tutorial link under each category.

Features Available Across Modules

• Choose from three standard-error types: conventional (iid), heteroskedasticity-robust, or cluster-robust.
• Select control variables from the list or enter them manually. Regression modules support panel entity and time dimensions and multi-way fixed effects.
• Logit and Probit support marginal effects, including average marginal effects and marginal effects at the means.
• Customize table formatting, including decimal places, parenthetical statistics, and custom footer rows.
• Append to Current Table places results from multiple runs side by side, making robustness checks and model comparisons easier.

Result Tabs

Each run creates a separate result tab that you can rename, switch, or delete. Tabs are saved automatically and restored after refreshing the page or signing in again, so completed results are not lost.

AI Result Interpretation

Generate a streamed written interpretation of the current results with one click. Add variable descriptions and regenerate it, or review previous reports. AI interpretation uses AI Tokens. If your balance is insufficient, purchase more on the Pricing page.

Data Processing

The Data Processing Workspace (/data-processing) is used to clean and transform data before analysis. After processing data here, sync it to the Data Analysis Workspace with one click instead of uploading it again.

Three Ways to Import Data

• Local Upload: .csv, .xlsx, .xls, .dta, .sav.
• Database: select a full data table directly from the STATAU Database.
• Paste Text: paste tabular text directly to create a dataset quickly.

Feature Overview

For step-by-step instructions for each feature, see Data Processing Tutorials.

Export and Sync

• Export processed data in CSV, Excel, or Stata format. The ZIP archive includes a complete processing log so you can trace every operation.
• Sync to Analysis sends the current data directly to the Data Analysis Workspace.

Database

The Database page (/database) provides built-in datasets commonly used in empirical research. Browsing and search are publicly available, while downloading and merging require login.

What You Can Do

• Browse and Search by Category: browse categories such as companies, regions, provinces, countries, macroeconomics, and industries; search by keyword; and switch between grid and list views.
• View Table Details: review the complete variable list and descriptions for each table.
• Download What You Need: select individual variables and a time range to download only what you need in CSV, Excel, or Stata format.
• Merge into Current Data: use keys such as company and year to merge database variables directly into your uploaded dataset.
• My Datasets: view or delete saved datasets and trace your download and analysis history.

Export & Result Management

Four Export Formats

Recommended Result-Organization Workflow

Thesis Citation Guidelines

If STATAU was used for data processing, empirical analysis, or result output in your paper, state the software name and version in the main text and cite the platform in the references. The standard formats below can be copied directly; follow any different requirements specified by your institution or journal.

Standard citation formats

@misc{statau2026,
  author       = {{STATAU Project}},
  title        = {STATAU},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Web application},
  version      = {3.2.0},
  url          = {https://statapro.cn},
  urldate      = {2026-11-13}
}

Example methods statement

Frequently Asked Questions

Accounts and Quotas

Q: What if I forget my password?

A: Choose Email Code Login on the login panel, then change your password in the User Center after verifying your email.

Q: Why does it say my account is signed in on another device?

A: This is caused by the one-device login limit. If the login was not yours, change your password immediately. You can also sign out other devices under Online Devices in the User Center.

Q: What if I run out of analysis credits?

A: Purchase a plan on the Pricing page to continue. Analysis credits and AI Tokens are separate quotas, tracked by order and expiring with their respective plans.

Q: How do I use the student discount?

A: Submit student verification in the User Center first. Once approved, select the 40% Student Discount option at checkout. It can be used once per month and up to five times in total.

Usage and Results

Q: Why are my results not exactly the same as Stata's?

A: The most common causes are differences in the standard-error type, estimation sample, missing-value handling, fixed effects, or instrumental-variable settings. Align each setting before comparing results. For method-by-method comparisons with Stata, see the Extended Tutorials.

Q: What should I do if the Hausman test reports a non-positive-definite covariance matrix?

A: In the Hausman module, select the sigmamore option and rerun the test to obtain results closer to Stata's sigmamore specification.

Q: Why do placebo tests and mediation bootstraps take so long?

A: These methods re-estimate models hundreds or thousands of times and are computationally intensive. They run asynchronously and display real progress. You can switch to other tabs while waiting for the progress bar to finish.

Q: What if a data upload fails or reports an error?

A: Confirm that the file format is .csv/.xlsx/.xls/.dta/.sav, the file is no larger than 1 GB, the first row contains variable names, and the data form a standard rectangular table. Invalid variable names are renamed automatically, so review the upload notice.

Exporting

Q: Why can't I see the export button?

A: The export button appears only when the current module has results. Run the analysis once to display it.

Q: What if a Word export fails or the file will not open?

A: Confirm that the results table is displayed correctly, then retry the export. If only Word fails while Excel, TXT, and CSV work, report the issue so we can investigate.