RESEARCH SUPPORT
SPSS Project Support for Research
Effect Sizes, Not Bare p-Values
Analyses run and reported as estimates: effect sizes in SPSS with their confidence intervals, the sample behind each and the p-value as one part of the evidence, so that results say more than significant or not.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Fixed Project Fee
Same-Day Response
What Does SPSS Project Support Involve?
SPSS project support for research is most useful when each result is an estimate with a stated uncertainty and not only a verdict of significance. A p-value says how compatible the data are with a null hypothesis, and it does not say how large an effect is or how precisely it was measured. Effect sizes in SPSS and confidence intervals in SPSS output supply those missing parts, but what the program provides varies by procedure and version, and some quantities must be requested through options or computed from the output, which is where care is needed. OnlineSPSS, a specialist statistical consultancy for academic, clinical and professional research, provides this support: an in-house PhD-level statistician runs the agreed analyses, obtains an effect size and an interval suited to each, and explains how to read them. Which of these effects matter, and why, is the argument your discussion makes.
WHEN TO ENGAGE
When a Project's Results Need to Be Estimates
The request usually follows a prompt from outside, such as a reviewer, a guideline or a supervisor, or it comes from planning the analysis well.
Reviewer Asks for Sizes A reviewer, committee or reporting guideline asks for effect sizes and intervals, and the analysis you ran reports only test statistics and p-values.
One Standard, Many Tests The project holds a t-test, a regression and a chi-square test, each with its effect in a different metric, so a consistent reporting plan is needed.
Results Above .05 Results with p above .05 need an interval and a view of which effects the data can exclude, so that they are not written up as showing nothing.
Analysis Still Being Planned The project is still being designed, and the effect measures, the intervals and the sample size reasoning can be set before any data are analyzed.
WHAT THE WORK COVERS
Estimation Work Within an SPSS Analysis
Reporting an estimate takes more than reading one number from the output, so the six parts below follow each analysis to its stated uncertainty.
Choosing the Effect Measure
The measure follows the outcome and the design, whether a mean difference, an odds ratio, a correlation or a proportion, and analyses are run through Quantitative Data Analysis.
Intervals From SPSS
Confidence intervals are taken from the procedure where it supplies them, and otherwise bootstrapped or computed, where available, with the method named in the report.
Standardized Effects
Hedges' g in SPSS for mean comparisons, printed or computed from the output depending on the version, and standardized effects for associations and tables, each with an interval.
Judging Magnitude
Size is judged against the outcome's own scale and the literature of your field, and not by generic small, medium and large labels alone.
Nonsignificant Findings
A result that is not statistically significant is reported with its interval, so readers can see what the data remain compatible with and how precise the estimate is.
Review Before Submission
A finished analysis can be examined for missing intervals or misreported effects through Independent Statistical Review.
COMMON ESTIMATION ISSUES
Reporting Habits That Leave Results Underdescribed
Results sections lose information through reporting habit rather than through the data, and an estimation-first report puts it back.
Significance as the Headline The abstract lists which results were significant, and the size, direction and precision of the estimates are mentioned nowhere in the document.
Effect Size Without Interval A standardized effect appears as a single number, although its sampling uncertainty can be large in small samples, so an interval is reported beside it.
Benchmarks Applied Mechanically Labels such as small, medium or large from general guidance are attached to every effect, though what counts as trivial or important depends on the outcome and the field.
Partial Eta Squared Compared Partial eta squared from different designs is compared as if the numbers shared one scale, though its value depends on which other effects are in the model.
Nonsignificant Read as Equivalence A p-value above .05 is written up as showing no difference, when the interval may still contain effects of real practical importance.
Selective Reporting Effects are reported only for the tests that reached significance, which skews the picture of the project, so every prespecified analysis is reported with its estimate.
DELIVERABLES
What You Receive With an Estimation-First Analysis
Each estimate in the report has a traceable origin: the procedure or resampling that produced it, the command that ran it and the sample behind it.
Reporting Plan for Estimates A one-page plan naming, for every analysis, the effect measure, the interval method and the way each result will be described in the text.
Estimate Summary Table A table with every key result as an estimate, an interval and a sample size, with test statistics and p-values as supporting columns.
Interval Method Notes A note stating how each interval was obtained, whether from the procedure or by resampling, with the number of resamples where one applies.
Rerunnable Command File The SPSS commands behind every estimate, including the bootstrap settings and seed where resampling was used, so that each interval reproduces exactly.
Effect Plots A figure showing estimates with their intervals across outcomes or subgroups, so that the pattern and the precision can be read at a glance.
Magnitude Notes For each estimate, a note setting the interval against the smallest effect that would matter on the outcome's scale, so that the practical importance of each estimate can be judged.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A Nonsignificant Result With an Informative Interval
An illustration of how reporting an estimate changes what a null-looking result can claim.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · CHILDHOOD LITERACY INTERVENTION RESEARCH · UNITED STATES
A doctoral researcher in education tested a small-group reading program against usual classroom instruction, using a reading fluency score measured at the end of the school term.
The comparison was between two groups on a continuous outcome, with pupils taught in intact classrooms, and the draft results stated only that the difference was not significant. The complication was interpretive: the interval for the mean difference was wide enough to include both no benefit and a worthwhile one, so concluding that the program had no effect was not supportable. The mean difference was reported with a 95% confidence interval that allowed for pupils being grouped in classrooms, together with a standardized effect and its interval, the smallest difference of practical interest was discussed against prior studies, and the limits of a nonrandomized comparison were stated.
Outcome: The researcher received the mean difference and standardized effect with their intervals, the interval method notes, the SPSS commands and output, an effect plot and the magnitude notes.
This example does not describe a real client or project. We never share details of actual client work, in line with the confidentiality we promise every researcher. This illustrative example is included to show the type, scope, and standard of work involved in this kind of analysis.
SOFTWARE
SPSS and the Programs That Cross-Check It
Interval methods differ between programs and versions, so the program behind each estimate is named in the report alongside the method used.
HOW WE ASSESS YOUR PROJECT
We Review Your Actual Research
Your assessment is based on a review of your actual research materials and analytical requirements, not a generic project category.
You Submit Your Project Details
Share whatever is available at the current stage, such as the research aim, protocol or proposal, dataset, variable list, manuscript or statistical requirements.
We Review Your Research and Define the Scope
Your statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the materials to understand the study design, research questions, data structure, analytical requirements and expected deliverables. If clarification is needed, additional documents or information can be requested before the assessment is finalized.
Your Analysis Is Completed and Delivered
Once the scope and fixed project fee are agreed, the in-house statistician completes the work and the Research Coordinator remains the communication point through delivery, with the analysis, deliverables and timeline as agreed.
RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITY
Statistical Support Within Your Own Research
OnlineSPSS produces and explains the estimates, and which effects matter, what they imply and what the project concludes stay with the researcher.
Agreed Statistical Support OnlineSPSS provides the agreed methodological, analytical and statistical reporting support, defined in a scope that is confirmed before any work begins.
No Intellectual Contribution OnlineSPSS does not claim any intellectual contribution to your project report or publication. Authorship remains the researcher's.
Your Research Decisions The judgment of what counts as an important effect, the discussion of the findings and the conclusions remain yours, with overall responsibility.
Confidential Handling Research data and project details are handled confidentially, project information is not published, and an NDA is available where required.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions About Effect Sizes in SPSS
Whether SPSS supplies an interval, which kind of effect to report and how existing results can be checked are the questions behind most estimation requests.
What does SPSS project support include beyond p-values?
SPSS project support at OnlineSPSS includes the effect estimate and its confidence interval for each prespecified analysis, the sample behind it, and the p-value as one part of the evidence. Methods follow your design, and the scope is confirmed in the assessment.
Does SPSS report confidence intervals for every test?
No. Some procedures print them by default, others only on request, and some tests offer none. Where the procedure does not, an interval may be obtained by bootstrapping, where that option is available, or computed from quantities in the output. What applies depends on the version and edition, so it is checked for each analysis at the start.
Should I report standardized or unstandardized effects?
Often both, each for its own reader. An unstandardized effect, such as a difference in points on the outcome scale or a regression coefficient in its natural units, is usually the clearest for readers who know the measure. A standardized effect helps when scales differ between studies or for later meta-analysis, but it depends on the spread in the sample, so two studies with the same raw effect can report different standardized values.
Can OnlineSPSS check the effect sizes and intervals in results I already have?
Yes. The analyses are compared with your design, any missing intervals are added, and effect sizes are checked against the measure that suits each test, with a note of what stands and what should change. Any changes are agreed with you before they are made, and the wording of the findings remains yours.
How do you protect my research data and confidentiality?
Your data and project details are handled confidentially, and project information is not published. Researcher names and institutions are not used publicly without permission. An NDA is available where required and can be arranged before sensitive materials are shared. Read more about confidentiality and data security.
What happens when I request an assessment, and how long does it take?
You share your research question, design and relevant materials, such as the dataset, the SPSS output you already have and any reviewer comments about effect sizes, and a statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the request and responds the same day. The analysis, deliverables, timeline and one fixed project fee are then confirmed before any work begins, so the timeline follows from the agreed scope.
Still have a question? Find more answers in our full FAQ.
NEXT STEP
Tell Us Which Results
Need Estimates
Share the analyses you have run or plan to run, with any reviewer comments about effect sizes, and we will outline how each would be reported.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
Fixed Project Fee
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Same-Day Response
Serving Researchers Since 2014