README file
Title: CaSty - Calibrating Stylized Items, version 2.4
Author and Contact Person: Ettore Scappini (University of Bologna):
ORCID 0000-0002-4909-8737, email: ettore.scappini@unibo.it
Licenses:
•	CaSty 2.4 software distributed under GNU Public License v.3 (GPLv3) license, https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html; 
•	CaSty 2.4 User Manual and the four .zip archives containing examples of CaSty use cases are distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publication Year: 2026
Suggested citation
Scappini, Ettore (2026) CaSty - Calibrating Stylized Items, version 2.4. DOI https://doi.org/10.6092/unibo/amsacta/8927 [Software]
Abstract
CaSty is a Python-based software tool for calibrating stylized survey items with grouped or point-valued response categories. It addresses two related problems: the direct calibration of stylized items that may generate structural distortion, and the calibration of stylized questionnaire data using diary-based reference values. Version 2.4 revises the calculation procedures and data-checking routines and introduces the computation of the Structural Bias Component (SBC). The program is controlled through a plain-text input file and produces a structured Excel workbook and a log file. CaSty implements four calibration models, reports cumulative or retro-cumulative calibrated estimates, and provides graphical outputs, checked data, and diagnostics such as the Error Index and SBC. CaSty is intended for survey researchers who need a transparent and reproducible workflow for improving the quantitative interpretation of stylized survey measures.
Folders/files deposited
•	A .zip archive containing the CaSty 2.4 executable file (.exe), Python source code (.py), user manual (.pdf), license file, and metadata files (.txt, .cff).
o	CaSty2.4-software.zip
•	CaSty.2.4.exe
•	CaSty.2.4.py
•	CaSty.2.4 User Manual.pdf
•	LICENSE.txt
•	COPYING.txt
•	CITATION.cff
•	Four .zip archives containing examples of CaSty use cases. Each archive includes an “Info.txt” file that describes the archived materials in detail.
o	0.Manual.zip
•	0.Man_Example1.txt
•	0.Man_Example1.xlsx
•	0.Man_Example2.txt
•	0.Man_Example2.xlsx
•	0.Man_Example3.txt
•	0.Man_Example3.xlsx
•	CaStyInp.txt
•	Info.txt
This .zip archive contains the CaSty input files and output workbooks used for the examples presented in the user manual (CaSty.2.4 User Manual.pdf). The examples are provided for documentation and reproducibility purposes. They show how CaSty input files are structured, how selected commands are declared, and how the corresponding Excel outputs are generated. They are illustrative examples and should not be interpreted as substantive empirical analyses. 
o	1.ReligionNL.zip
•	1.ReligionNL1980.txt
•	1.ReligionNL1980.xlsx
•	1.ReligionNL2000.txt
•	1.ReligionNL2000.xlsx
•	CaStyInp.txt
•	Info.txt
This .zip archive contains the CaSty input files and output workbooks used for two examples based on religious attendance in the Netherlands in 1980 and 2000, derived from the article: Scappini, E. (2021). Calibrating Questionnaires with Weekly Diaries: An Application in Religious Behavior, Netherlands 1975 to 2005. Sociological Methodology, 51, 166–187. DOI 10.1177/0081175020927438.
The original survey microdata is not included.
o	2.Metho.TimeUse2008.zip
•	2.Metho.SimulaExample.txt
•	2.Metho.SimulaExample.xlsx
•	2.Metho.IT.TimeUse.08.Religio.txt
•	2.Metho.IT.TimeUse.08.Religio.xlsx
•	CaStyInp.txt
•	Info.txt
This .zip archive contains the input files and output workbooks used for the application presented in the article: Scappini, Ettore. Calibrating Items With Time Use Diaries: A Refined Method. Methodology, 2025, 21(3), 197–219. DOI 10.5964/meth.13215. The main empirical application concerns religious attendance in Italy, using Time Use Survey 2008 data (the original survey microdata is not included). A simple illustrative example used to explain the calibration models is also included.
o	3.EVS_SBC.zip
•	3.EVS_Wave1.RSB.church.txt
•	3.EVS_Wave1.RSB.church.xlsx
•	3.EVS_Year.1984.1981.church.txt
•	3.EVS_Year.1984.1981.church.xlsx
•	3.EVS_Year.2021.1981.church.txt
•	3.EVS_Year.2021.1981.church.xlsx
•	3.EVS_Year.2021.2017.church.txt
•	3.EVS_Year.2021.2017.church.xlsx
•	CaStyInp.txt
•	info.txt
This .zip archive contains CaSty input files and output workbooks used to generate calibrated results for the European Values Study (EVS) church-attendance item. The files were used to produce the elaborations presented in the article: Scappini, E. (2026). Structural bias in stylized items with point-valued categories: A calibrated approach. (Manuscript under decision). The files document the processing pipeline from aggregated EVS distributions to CaSty output tables, figures, and derived databases. Only aggregated and derived materials are included, not the original EVS microdata.
•	A README file in .rtf format
Casty.2.4_Software_Data_README.rtf
Previous CaSty releases
•	Scappini, Ettore (2025) CaSty - Calibrating Stylized Items, version 2.0. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsacta/8365 [Software]
•	Scappini, Ettore (2022) CaSty - Calibrating Stylized Items. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsacta/6886 [Software]