Document Actions
4. Help
SPSS provides a wide variety of help options. Each window provides a Help selection in its menu bar from which you can choose "Topics", "Tutorial", “Case Studies”, "Statistics Coach", “Command Syntax Reference”, “Algorithms”, "SPSS Home Page", “About”, “License Authorization Wizard”, "Register Product", or “Check for Updates”. Clicking on “Topics” will open a window from which you can select: Contents, Index, Search or Favorites. Click on “Index” and enter a word to learn more about that topic. In addition to the “Help” option in the main menu, each dialog box provides a Help button offering context specific help. Also, you can right click on any control in a dialog box and select "What's This?" to get a description of that control. For help on terms in output pivot tables, double click the pivot table to activate the Pivot Table Editor, and then click the right mouse button on the term in question. For help in interpreting the output, use the “Results Coach”. Activate the Pivot Table Editor, click on Help in the main menu, and select “Results Coach”.
Statistics Coach
The Statistics Coach can help you select the best statistical and/or charting procedure for your data or research problem. From the main menu select Help > Statistics Coach. The system will prompt you with simple questions about your data and display visual examples to help you select the procedures best suited for your data. To use the Statistics Coach, you must first enter accurate descriptions for the data type for each variable. In the Variable View of the Data Editor window, click on “Measure” and select Scale, Ordinal or Nominal as appropriate.
Journal File
SPSS records all commands executed during a session in a journal file named “spss.jnl” by default. This includes commands generated by dialog box choices. You can edit the journal file and use the commands again a later session. You can also append or overwrite the journal file, and select the journal filename and location. To specify a folder for this journal file: click on Edit and Options. Select the General tab and under “Session Journal” browse to enter a folder and filename of your own choice.
Reference Manuals
The reference manuals for SPSS 14.0 can be ordered from the SPSS web site:
Click on “Store” at the top of the page, and then click on “Books” and “SPSS 14.0”. User Manuals available include the following:
SPSS 14.0 Brief Guide $26.
SPSS Tables 14.0 $41.
SPSS Trends 14.0 $29.
SPSS 14.0 Manuals on CD $99.
This CD contains several manuals in PDF format, including: SPSS Base 14.0 User’s Guide, SPSS 14.0 Brief Guide, SPSS Tables 14.0, SPSS Trends 14.0, SPSS Regression Models 13.0, SPSS Advanced Models 12.0, and other manuals for SPSS modules which we do not have.
There are also some statistical procedure companion books which provide background information and examples for the SPSS Advanced and Regression modules.
