How to Use Excel in Research
- 1). Use Excel to log information and track data. The spreadsheet format can be used in different ways to hold your research information. Place data labels across a row or column and fill in the data points as you acquire them. You can also set up a comparative matrix with identical data items across a row and down a column, which gives you the option of head-to-head comparisons of the items you are tracking.
- 2). Perform calculations on your data using automated or user-created options. Sum a row or column of data by highlighting it and clicking the summation icon (the Greek letter Sigma, it looks like an "E"). You can also enter your own formulas in cells that will compute your data by beginning with the plus sign ("+") in a cell, highlighting the cells you want to calculate and using arithmetic operators between them ("+", "-", "*" for multiplication and "/" for division).
- 3). Graph your data using the automated graph and chart options. Highlight the data you wish to analyze (along with any data labels along the side and top of the data table) and select the "Gallery" icon and then "Charts." Pick the type of chart you wish to use (such as a line or bar) and the chart will be inserted into the spreadsheet. You can move it to a new location by clicking and dragging it.