Excel provides a number of data analysis tools, which are accessible via Data > Analysis|Data Analysis.

If this option is not visible you may need to first install Excel’s analysis tool pack. This is done by selecting Office Button > Excel Options > Add-Ins in Excel 2007 or File > Help|Options > Add-Ins in versions of Excel starting with Excel 2010, and clicking the Go button at the bottom of the window. Next, you select the Analysis ToolPak option on the dialog box that appears and click the OK button. You will then be able to access the data analysis tools.

After selecting Data > Analysis|Data Analysis you will be presented with the dialog box in Figure 1.

Figure 1 – Data analysis dialog box

You can now select any one of the following options useful for statistical analysis:

• ANOVA: Single Factor
• ANOVA: Two-Factor with Repetition
• ANOVA: Two-Factor without Repetition
• Correlation
• Covariance
• Descriptive Statistics
• Exponential Smoothing
• F-Test: Two Sample for Variances
• Histogram
• Random Number Generation
• Rank and Percentile
• Regression
• Sampling
• t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means
• t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variance
• t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal Variance
• z-Test: Two-Sample for Means

Each of these options represents a data analysis tool that will be described on this website. Now suppose by way of example that you choose Anova: Single Factor. You will now be presented with the dialog box shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 – Dialog box for Anova: Single Factor option

The Input Range consists of the Excel range where the data elements to be analyzed are stored. Suppose, by way of example, this data consists of a 4 × 8 array representing 4 treatments as in Figure 3.

Figure 3 – Sample input range

In this case, you insert the range B2:E9 in the Input Range field (of the dialog box of Figure 2) and select the Columns radio button. If you had assigned a name (e.g. Study1) to the range B2:E9 then you could put this name in the Input Range field instead of B2:E9.

Alternatively, you could insert B1:E9 in the Input Range field and check the Labels in First Row checkbox in the dialog box to indicate that you have included the column headings in the data range. Note that the participant numbers (in column A) are not used.

If the data were arranged where the treatments are listed by row instead of by column, then you would select the Rows radio button and you could optionally select the Labels in First Column checkbox.

The Alpha value (as described in Null and Alternative Testing) is set to 0.05 by default, although you can optionally change this to 0.01 or some other value.

You can now choose the New Worksheet Ply radio button from the Output options (and leave the data field blank). In this case, a new worksheet is created (in the tab prior to the current one) and the ANOVA report is placed in this worksheet starting at cell A1. You can then copy the results to the current worksheet (or anywhere else you like).

Alternatively, you can choose the Output Range or New Workbook radio button, to put the report in some specific output range that you choose or in a new workbook.