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Welcome to the Southern Health Allied Health Research Unit: Research Training Session program for 2011. Today. Networking General introduction to Southern Health Allied Health Research Unit and the 2011 Research Training Session program Today’s session Using Excel for Research
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Welcome to the Southern Health Allied Health Research Unit:Research Training Session program for 2011
Today • Networking • General introduction to Southern Health Allied Health Research Unit and the 2011 Research Training Session program • Today’s session • Using Excel for Research • Planning for future sessions
The Southern Health Allied Health Research Unit • A collaborative network • Monash University & Southern Health allied health researchers
The Southern Health Allied Health Research Unit • Aims to • facilitate the development of research by and in collaboration with allied health clinicians • conduct innovative research that advances clinical practice • enable allied health clinicians to judiciously use evidence to guide their clinical practice.
How we operate Clinical practice Research Clinicians Clinician as researchers Researchers
Research Training Sessions • Networking • Academic presentation • Clinician researcher / research student presentation • More networking
Research Training Sessions Clinical practice Research Clinicians Clinician as researchers Researchers
Workshop:Using Excel for research Assoc Prof Terry Haines Director, Allied Health Research Unit, Southern Health Director of Research, Southern Physiotherapy Clinical School, Monash University National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Awardee (2010-2013) terrence.haines@monash.edu
Using Excel for research • Introduction to Excel • Arranging data in Excel • Cleaning data in Excel • Validating data entry in Excel • Basic formulae • Cutting and pasting with functions and formulae • If commands • Basic statistics commands • Some quick short-cut keys • Graphs and integrating with power-point
Introduction to Excel • Spreadsheet program • Very flexible for data input, data manipulation • Very flexible for developing graphs / charts • Some basic analysis tools available • I use it at some stage with just about every project I conduct
Scroll bars Commands ribbon Data Other worksheets Column labels
Arranging data in Excel • Wide format • One row of data per participant • Long format • One row of data per assessment or point in time • Multiple rows per participant
Does it matter? • Sorting and arranging data in Excel does matter if you want to create graphs or use Excel’s statistical analysis functions • It may be easier to enter data in long format in some studies, or in wide format in others • Long usually takes more cells • In our example, 128 cells vs 224 for the same information • Other programs can convert one format to another with a click of a button • Will need specific column heading terminology
Cleaning data in Excel • Cleaning • Identify and address incomplete, incorrect or inaccurate data • Small datasets • Can do it visually • Large datasets • Takes too long to do visually • Excel can help
Check the range of your data using a chart To highlight a column, click on the column letter at the top, or click and drag, or use the arrows with a shift (+/- ctrl) key
Something isn’t right Value >100 These numbers are just the order of data – value is meaningless
Also helps pick up the problem Note: Excel does not label the axis very well unless you tell it to. The X-axis here is Barthel, the Y-axis is QoL
Cleaning data • Other options • Sort data to check range is correct • Be careful not to permanently rearrange your data • Always have a master file • Clean data in a separate file • Save as different versions as you go along • Use “if” commands to identify incorrect values • Use Ctrl – H to find a specific value • Don’t enter incorrect data in the first place
Validating data entry • Restricts values in a particular column to a certain amount or set of values • Enter your column headings first
Select the column you want first, then find “Data Validation”
Data validation • Will not detect an incorrect value if the incorrect value lies within the range that has been specified • If a person really wants to bugger up the data entry, there are not many things a program like Excel can do to stop them
Use the comments to leave a trail A red triangle in the top right corner of a cell tells you there is a comment there. Wave your mouse over this see what comment says.
Basic formulae • Simple mathematical commands are easily implemented using Excel • Remember BODMAS conventions • Remember to have the same number of ( as you do ) in one formula
Click on the top cell from where you want the data to be pasted....But what is this new data?
If we wanted QoLChange, then we needed to paste one column further over.
Copy and paste conventions with formulae • It is the formula that is pasted, not the value • If you paste one column to the right, then all the values in the formula will change to being one to the right • If you paste one row down, then all the values in the formula will change to being one further down • If you don’t want this, you need to “paste special”
If commands • I use these commonly when manipulating datasets • Syntax • =if(logical test,[value if true],[value if false]) • Eg. I want a column that identifies older people • =if(b2>75,1,0)
You can use up to 5 if commands in the one cell, eg. To identify old men