InfoGuides: Software for Digital Scholarship: SPSS

SPSS statistical software is now owned by IBM, a previous version was called PASW. SPSS has many different modules, and not all installations have all modules. So, be careful. SPSS is mostly point-and-click, which makes the learning curve low. It does have syntax, which is important to be aware of and keep for reproducibility of analysis. The syntax is laborious, however, and those who can program are likely to prefer using Stata or R.

Access to SPSS

Available in all ITS Labs and the DiSC Lab
On the Virtual Computing Lab
Free Trial - 30 days
Grad Students can purchase for home use from Hearne Software (or others)

Consider also these Free, Open-Source alternatives:

PSPP - intentional look-alike which can do data management and basic statistics
Jamovi - R-based interface with familiar features, can do more advanced statistics
Blue Sky Statistics - (Windows Only) R-based SPSS-like interface has tons of features

Reference

See more about the theory and interpretation of statistical tests in our Data Analysis & Statistics InfoGuide

Quick Reference

Video

SPSS Tutorials from London School of Economics
- Fifteen 5-10 min videos covering specific basic tasks up to Regression using point-and-click
BrunelASK YouTube Channel from Brunel University ASK
- Several dozen ~5 min videos covering specific basic tasks using point-and-click

Text with Screenshots

SPSS Tutorials from Kent State University Libraries Statistical Consulting
- Selection of tutorials on basic tasks with helpful tips.
- Text and screenshots with both point-and-click and syntax
Psychology Resource Archive by University of Nebraska Department of Psychology
- 100+ short (2-3pg) examples of specific as a reference for more experienced users
- Includes both basic and advanced analyses
- Includes real example, showing point-and-click and syntax setup, annotated output and a sample writeup
SPSS Tutorials by Ruben Geert van den Berg
- Graphics-heavy basic tutorials on specific statistical tests and data management tasks focusing on the use of syntax
Basic Statistical Methods for Social Science Sourcebook: SPSS by Craig A. Wendorf
- Instructions and annotated output for basic tests using point-and-click

Switching to SPSS

How do I do this SPSS command in Stata (UCLA)

Comprehensive Reference

NYU's Quantitative Analysis Guide - Look-up table to choose a statistical test

Links directly to relevant pages in the following useful resources:

IBM's Knowledge Base
- Point-and-click instructions explaining each option in dialog boxes
- Good for users at any level wanting details
- Some tutorials have screenshots, but most documentation does not
- SPSS Tutorials and Support Home
Laerd Statistics
- ~$5 a month; some content free if accessed through searches or links
- ~100 medium-length articles including both point-and-click and syntax instructions
- Intended for beginners, but appropriate for all; covers both analysis and data management skills
- Comprehensive and detailed, covering use, assumptions, setup, output, and write-up in plain language
UCLA ATS Statistical Computing-SPSS
- Text-only syntax instructions demonstrate appropriate analysis and interpretation
- Resources vary in length from short annotated outputs to long seminar notes
- Focuses on an intermediate/advanced audience and topics
- Go to Examples and Annotated Output

Learn to use SPSS

Learn More

Karl Wuensch's SPSS Lessons by Karl Wuensch, East Carolina University
- Dozens of lengthy (10-20pg) Word Documents covering univariate and multivariate analysis
- Includes theory and interpretation along with setup
- See also his whole set of Statistics Lessons
SPSS Statistics Essential Training from (free through the Mason Libraries)
- A collection of videos of various lengths totaling almost 5 hrs
- Covering basic and intermediate tasks and analyses at a slow pace with a follow-along dataset
- See also SPSS for Academic Research, for T-Tests and ANOVAs

Data Management using SPSS from MANTRA: Research Data Management Training
- 26pg workbook using syntax to learn SPSS, evaluate data, and do some complicated cleaning and transformation tasks on a provided dataset
- Given step-by-step but quite detailed to convey principles of data management

Software for Digital Scholarship