Computing and its various applications have become the main tools for researchers across all academic disciplines. Those who prepare their theses for printing with us and for presentation to the examination board become familiar with the use of specialised software that makes their work easier.
Almost any professional who has ever undertaken research knows what SPSS is; it is one of the most widely used tools today by those seeking to complete their thesis and obtain a PhD.
If that isn’t the case for you and you’re about to start your research, we recommend finding out what SPSS is and what it’s used for: you’re sure to find it a valuable tool that will save you time and improve your analysis and the conclusions of your work.
What is SPSS and what is it used for?
To understand what SPSS is, the first thing to realise is that it is the common name for the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. It is the software most widely used by scientists, researchers and university students when carrying out any kind of work involving data analysis.
The application is so flexible and adaptable that it is widely used across a wide range of academic disciplines. It is, of course, an essential tool for theses in the health sciences, but it is also commonly used in the field of economics, in market research and in research within the communications sector.
This is because of what the programme can achieve: SPSS is used to handle large volumes of data, analyse them, group them according to certain parameters, and identify trends quickly, clearly and unambiguously.
Benefits of using SPSS in your doctoral thesis
You only need to spend a few minutes using the software to understand what SPSS means for research: it’s a real game-changer that reduces the workload and analytical burden on PhD students thanks to some of its key benefits:
- Ease of use: users of SPSS agree that the learning curve is not steep. The programme uses a very simple command language, which can be mastered in no time.
- A wide range of functions: SPSS allows you to cross-reference data, make comparisons, identify frequencies and even predict numerical results, etc.
- Generates visual displays: the programme automatically generates tables and other charts that can be seamlessly integrated into the thesis binding to provide a clearer, more visual presentation.
Tips for analysing data using SPSS
When faced with the challenge of writing a doctoral thesis, a high proportion of researchers find themselves using SPSS. To ensure the software proves a real help, it is worth bearing in mind the following tips for analysing data:
- Define the objective: for the programme to work properly, the researcher must be clear about what they are looking for in order to enter the correct system parameters.
- Run some test runs: although SPSS is not particularly difficult to learn, it is a good idea to carry out a few test runs beforehand to familiarise yourself with the software environment, the tools and the way in which results are presented.
- Check the assumptions: if the data analysis carried out by SPSS is based on incorrect assumptions, the conclusions drawn will be incorrect.
With all these precautions in mind, the powerful tool that is SPSS will become your go-to resource when you sit down to expand and finalise your thesis.
