Lab 5

Pol242 Lab Manual

Lab 5

 Purpose: To create publication quality tables

Main points:

  • Raw SPSS output is not appropriate for most professional purposes including homework assignments
  • Properly formatted tables should be created with a word processor
  • Examples of proper tables are included in Labs 1 & 2

Instructions

Create a frequency table in Word 

  1. Select an indicator of a dependent variable of interest.
  2. Give the table title describing its content.
  3. Inserted table of an appropriate size by going to the insert menu and clicking on table. Choose an appropriate number of columns and rows.
  4. In the first row label the columns “Variable label”, “Frequency”,and “Percent”.
  5. With the categories of the variable in the first column.
  6. Give the frequency of each category in the second column.
  7. Enter the valid percentages in the third column.
  8. In the last row give the totals for the columns.
  9. Select the entire table and in the Format menu select “Borders & Shading”
  10. Under Settings, select none. Under Style select the single line. Under preview click on the lines above and below the table. Click Ok.
  11. Add information about the source of the data below the last line.

 

Creating a crosstabulation

  1. Select indicators of a dependent and an independent variable of interest.
  2. Title the table using the dependent variable by independent variable format.
  3. Insert table with four more rows than the dependent variable has categories and two more columns then the independent variable has categories.
  4. In the first row of the table type the name of the dependent variable in the first column in each of the categories of the independent variable in the next columns.
  5. List the categories of the dependent variable in the first column below the dependent variable name. Then skip one row and enter N=.
  6. Enter the appropriate column percentages (not frequencies) in the table cells.
  7. In the row marked N=, enter the column totals at the base of each column .
  8. For now leave the last line of the table blank. It will later be used for information summarizing the table.
  9. Select the entire table and in the Format menu select “Borders & Shading”
  10. Under Settings, select none. Under Style select the single line. Under preview click on the lines above and below the table. Click Ok.
  11. Add information about the source of the data below the last line.