Calculating Descriptive Statistics

Step 1: Set up the data:

Step 2: In an empty part of the same Excel sheet, enter labels “Mean” and “SD”:

Step 3: For the mean, in the cell next to the label “Mean”, type “=AVERAGE” followed by the cells of data you want to average in parentheses. For example, “=AVERAGE(B2:B6)”. Hit “enter” and Excel will calculate the mean of all the data between cells B2 and B6.

Note:  You can also type in "=AVERAGE (", and then use the mouse to select the cells you want to include.

There are many built-in formulas, e.g., for the standard deviation, but it is important to know what formula you are using since there can be several varieties of the same basic concept (e.g., the estimate of the standard deviation assuming the data is a sample of a population vs. the standard deviation assuming the data is the full population). 

Calculations can also be done from scratch without using the built-in formulas, using standard arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /, ^) and , e.g., the "SUM" command.   For example:

=(SUM(A1:A5))^2

will add up all the data in cells A1 through A5, and then square the result.

Note: copying and pasting formulas, or dragging cells containing formulas with the mouse can be very useful and time-consuming, but you need to understand how this works.  There are many places to learn about this online, or ask your instructor!

Step 1: Set up the data

Step 2: Highlight data to be graphed. Do not include the row with heading titles, only the names of the categories and number of instances in each category. Click on the upper-left cell, hold the button down, and drag to lower right cell. The highlighted data should look like the image below:

Step 3: With prior cells highlighted, click “Insert”. Move cursor over to the icon in the top left-hand corner of the charts section. Your Excel screen should look like this:

Step 4: Click the icon to insert a Bar Chart:

Step 5: To add axis labels, select your newly created graph, and click on “Chart Elements” on tool bar.  In the selections, choose “Axis Titles” and select the horizontal or vertical axis that you want to include.

Step 6: Modify your axis titles to reflect Cells A1 and B1. To do this, click on each “Axis Title”. A text box will appear around the selected “Axis Title”. Delete the generic “Axis Title” and replace with your desired axis names. Your screen should appear as:

Step 7: You have finished a bar graph. You may play around with the design and format of your graph by clicking on it, and then navigating the Design and Format options provided by Excel. These options are located on the Excel toolbar and under Chart Elements.