How to Alphabetize Variables in SPSS or PASW Statistics

The instructions for SPSS, or PASW Statistics, are not exactly clear on how to list variables in alphabetical order. Alphabetization is particularly important if you have a large number of variables to sort. To do it, you must change the options in the edit menu.

Things You'll Need

• SPSS 17 (or any other version), also known as PASW Statistics 17

Instructions

1. Click on the file menu in SPSS and select "Open." If you are prompted with a window that asks "What would you like to do?" choose "Open an existing data source."

2. Go to the edit menu, and select "Options" at the bottom. This should bring up a dialog box. If you prefer keyboard shortcuts, press Alt+E to bring up the Edit menu, and then N to select options.

3. Click on the general tab at the top of the dialog box. In the "Variable Lists" box directly underneath this tab, click the option button labeled "Alphabetical."

References

• Georgia Southern Library: SPSS for Windows