Excel Basics

Motivation for Excel

Many of the motivators for learning Excel are similar to why we would want to learn R. However, there are some important differences as well! The primary purpose for learning Excel in this book will be for data compilation, cleaning and visualization of our datasets. We would like to highlight that learning Excel is also great for other life applications as well as increasing your competitiveness on the job and graduate school market. Below is a short list of just some of the benefits of learning Excel:

Research applications:

1. Data compilation

   1. Many data collection services, such as Qualtrics, record their data in Excel (or csv) files

2. Data cleaning

3. Data visualization

4. Statistics

Non-research (but also still used in research) applications:

1. Budgets for companies or personally

2. Scheduling

3. Tracking revenues, expenses, inventories, etc.

4. Grade computations

Introduction to Excel and Spreadsheets

Below we introduce the basic structure and functions in Excel. For more information, including Excel courses and certifications, please see the "Interested in Learning More" section at the end of this chapter.

The basic organization of an Excel worksheet (but also any other spreadsheet) is the same as you will find in your R datasets. There are series of columns and rows, forming a matrix (see Ch. 05: Introduction to R Programming). You can then use this organization to implement mathematical formulas on specific cells (of a given row and column).

Microsoft Training Videos

The below link will take you to a playlist of short videos that introduce the structure and functions of Excel.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/excel-video-training-9bc05390-e94c-46af-a5b3-d7c22f6990bb?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Additional Video Resources

Cut, Copy, Paste (2:13)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXrTlhMl7eg

Functions (3:52)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcuzIEMYRg

Creating Formulas (3:03)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olc1HAK4vKg

Modifying rows and columns (1:53)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn8qGZFAVCI

The Excel Ribbon (2:47)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkQcm3Gulkg

Interested in Learning More?

Below are some additional resources for those interested in learning more, including Excel courses and certifications.

Short Excel Certification Course

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/excel-essential-training-office-365-microsoft-365?trk=learning-serp_learning-search-card_search-card&upsellOrderOrigin=default_guest_learning

UMD STUDENTS: You will first want to logon through the UMD linkedIn learning where you should then have FREE access to this course then select "Excel Essential Training (Office 365/Microsoft 365)"

Non-UMD Students: Your school may have a LinkedIn subscription and you should check with your school. Otherwise, LinkedIn Learning offers a 1-month free trial.

The below link has a list of other courses, some for pay and some free:

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/learn-excel-resources