Survey research and design in psychology/Assessment/Lab reports/3/Item correlations

How to put a correlations table from a factor analysis into a lab report appendix

Presenting a large number of correlations in a single table can be challenging.

Here are some tips for using SPSS to create a table that is relatively easy to present in an Appendix:

  1. Generate a correlation table in SPSS via Analyze - Data Reduction - Factor - Descriptives - Correlation Matrix - Coefficients. Note to use the data for your final model (after some variables have been dropped).
  2. Select the Correlation table in the Output (by left clicking on the Table)
  3. Export the table via: File - Export - Objects to Export - Selected - Options - Change Options - Wide Pivot Tables - Wrap table to fit within page margins (should be the default setting) - Page set-up for export - Landscape. You may also wish to adjust the filename and location for the file to be saved.
  4. In your main lab report document, create a section break (this allows you to have Portrait layout for one section and Landscape layout for another section), then insert (or copy and paste) the exported correlation table from SPSS.

Alternatively, create a table in your lab report document from scratch and type the correlations in, rounding to two decimal places. It might be quicker, easier, and better presented.