Minitab Quick Guide

This guide provides step-by-step directions for common procedures in Minitab. Select the section that matches the type of variable or analysis you are working with.

Accessing Minitab and Opening Files

Tip Access Minitab Web:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Go to the Minitab License Portal.
3. Under My Products, locate Minitab Solution Center.
4. Select Open Web App.
5. Select the Analytics app.

Tip Open a Minitab file from the home screen:

1. Save the Minitab file to your computer or a cloud-storage location.
2. Open Minitab Web.
3. On the Minitab home screen, select the repository where the file is stored.
4. If the file was downloaded from Canvas and is stored on your computer, select Open Local File.
5. Locate and open the file.

Tip Open a file from an existing Minitab project:

1. Select the Add/Open + icon on the left side of the Minitab window.
2. Select the location where the file is stored.
3. Locate and open the file.

One Categorical Variable

Tip Create a bar chart for one categorical variable in Minitab:

1. Open the data file in Minitab.
2. Select Graph > Bar Chart.
3. Select Counts of unique values.
4. Select One Variable.
5. Select the categorical variable.
6. Select OK.

Tip Create a bar chart with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Bar Chart.
2. Select Summarized data in a table.
3. Under One column of values, select Simple.
4. Select OK.
5. Enter the variable containing the counts under Graph variables.
6. Enter the categorical variable under Categorical variable.
7. Select OK.

Tip Create a pie chart for one categorical variable in Minitab:

1. Open the data file in Minitab.
2. Select Graph > Pie Chart.
3. Select Counts of unique values.
4. Select the categorical variable.
5. Select Options.
6. Under Label Slices With, select Percent.
7. Select OK.

Tip Create a pie chart with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Pie Chart.
2. Select Summarized data in a table.
3. Select the categorical variable.
4. Select the variable containing the counts under Summary variables.
5. Select Options.
6. Under Label Slices With, select Percent.
7. Select OK.

Tip Create a frequency table for one categorical variable in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Tables > Tally Individual Variables.
2. Select the categorical variable.
3. Select the statistics you want Minitab to display.
4. Select OK.

Hypothesis tests

Tip Conduct a one-proportion hypothesis test with raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 1 Proportion.
2. Select the variable containing the raw data.
3. Select Perform hypothesis test.
4. Enter the null-hypothesis value.
5. Select the Options tab.
6. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
7. Under Method, select Normal approximation.
8. Select OK.

Tip Conduct a one-proportion hypothesis test with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 1 Proportion.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Summarized data.
3. Enter the summarized data.
4. Select Perform hypothesis test.
5. Enter the null-hypothesis value.
6. Select the Options tab.
7. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
8. Under Method, select Normal approximation.
9. Select OK.

Confidence intervals

Tip Construct a one-proportion confidence interval with raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 1 Proportion.
2. Select the variable containing the raw data.
3. Select the Options tab.
4. Enter the appropriate confidence level.
5. Set the alternative hypothesis to not equal.
6. Under Method, select Normal approximation.
7. Select OK.

Tip Conduct a chi-square goodness-of-fit test with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Enter the category names in one worksheet column and the observed counts in a second column.
2. Select Stat > Tables > Chi-Square Goodness of Fit Test (One Variable).
3. Under Observed counts, enter the column containing the observed counts.
4. Under Category names (optional), enter the column containing the category names.
5. To test whether all population proportions are equal, use the default option for equal proportions.
6. Select OK.

One Quantitative Variable

Tip Create a histogram for one quantitative variable in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Histogram.
2. Select Simple.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the quantitative variable under Graph variables.
5. Select OK.

Tip Create a dotplot for one quantitative variable in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Dotplot.
2. Select One Y, Simple.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the quantitative variable under Graph variables.
5. Select OK.

Tip Create a boxplot for one quantitative variable in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Boxplot.
2. Select One Y, Simple.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the quantitative variable under Graph variables.
5. Select OK.

Tip Display descriptive statistics for one quantitative variable in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > Display Descriptive Statistics.
2. Select the quantitative variable.
3. Select the Statistics tab.
4. Select the statistics you want Minitab to display, such as the mean, standard deviation, or five-number summary.
5. Select OK.

Hypothesis tests

Tip Conduct a one-sample t hypothesis test with raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 1-Sample t.
2. Select the variable containing the raw data.
3. Select Perform hypothesis test.
4. Enter the null-hypothesis value.
5. Select the Options tab.
6. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
7. Select OK.

Tip Conduct a one-sample t hypothesis test with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 1-Sample t.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Summarized data.
3. Enter the sample size, sample mean, and sample standard deviation.
4. Select Perform hypothesis test.
5. Enter the null-hypothesis value.
6. Select the Options tab.
7. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
8. Select OK.

Confidence intervals

Tip Construct a one-sample t confidence interval with raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 1-Sample t.
2. Select the variable containing the raw data.
3. Select the Options tab.
4. Enter the appropriate confidence level.
5. Set the alternative hypothesis to not equal.
6. Select OK.

Tip Construct a one-sample t confidence interval with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 1-Sample t.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Summarized data.
3. Enter the sample size, sample mean, and sample standard deviation.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Enter the appropriate confidence level.
6. Set the alternative hypothesis to not equal.
7. Select OK.

Probability Distributions

Tip Find a proportion on a normal distribution in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Probability Distribution Plot.
2. Select One Curve, then select View Probability.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the distribution’s Mean and Standard deviation. For the standard normal distribution, use a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.
5. Select Options.
6. Select A specified x value.
7. Select the region that matches the probability of interest:
   • Left tail for the proportion less than a value.
   • Right tail for the proportion greater than a value.
   • Middle for the proportion between two values.
   • Equal tails for the combined proportion more extreme than a positive or negative value.
8. Enter the relevant value or values under X value.
9. Select OK, then select OK again.

Tip Find values on a normal distribution given a proportion in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Probability Distribution Plot.
2. Select One Curve, then select View Probability.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the distribution’s Mean and Standard deviation. For the standard normal distribution, use a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.
5. Select Options.
6. Select A specified probability.
7. Select the region containing the given proportion:
   • Left tail to find the value separating the bottom proportion.
   • Right tail to find the value separating the top proportion.
   • Equal tails to find values separating the middle of the distribution from a combined proportion in both tails.
8. Enter the proportion as a decimal under Probability. When using Equal tails, enter the combined proportion in both tails; Minitab divides it equally between them.
9. Select OK, then select OK again.

Tip Find a \(t^*\) multiplier in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Probability Distribution Plot.
2. Select One Curve, then select View Probability.
3. Select OK.
4. Change the Distribution to t.
5. Enter the Degrees of freedom.
6. Select Options.
7. Select A specified probability.
8. Select Equal tails.
9. Under Probability, enter the combined proportion in the two tails. For example, enter 0.10 for a 90% confidence interval.
10. Select OK, then select OK again.

Tip Find a p-value from a \(t\)-test statistic in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Probability Distribution Plot.
2. Select One Curve, then select View Probability.
3. Select OK.
4. Change the Distribution to t.
5. Enter the Degrees of freedom.
6. Select Options.
7. Select A specified x value.
8. Select the region that matches the alternative hypothesis:
   • Left tail for a left-tailed test.
   • Right tail for a right-tailed test.
   • Equal tails for a two-tailed test.
9. Under X value, enter the \(t\)-test statistic.
10. Select OK, then select OK again.

Tip Find a p-value from a chi-square test statistic in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Probability Distribution Plot.
2. Select One Curve, then select View Probability.
3. Select OK.
4. Change the Distribution to Chi-Square.
5. Enter the Degrees of freedom.
6. Select Options.
7. Select A specified x value.
8. Select Right tail.
9. Under X value, enter the chi-square test statistic.
10. Select OK, then select OK again.

Tip Find a p-value from an \(F\)-test statistic in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Probability Distribution Plot.
2. Select One Curve, then select View Probability.
3. Select OK.
4. Change the Distribution to F.
5. Enter the Numerator degrees of freedom and Denominator degrees of freedom.
6. Select Options.
7. Select A specified x value.
8. Select Right tail.
9. Under X value, enter the \(F\)-test statistic.
10. Select OK, then select OK again.

One Categorical and One Quantitative Variable

Tip Create side-by-side histograms in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Histogram.
2. Under One Y Variable, select Groups Displayed Separately.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the quantitative variable under Y-variable.
5. Enter the categorical variable under Group variables.
6. Under Display Groups, select In separate panels of one graph.
7. Select OK.

Tip Create side-by-side dotplots in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Dotplot.
2. Select One Y Variable, Groups Displayed on the Scale.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the quantitative variable as the Y-variable.
5. Enter the categorical variable as the Group variable.
6. Select OK.

Tip Create side-by-side boxplots in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Boxplot.
2. Select One Y, With Categorical Variables.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the quantitative variable as the Y-variable.
5. Enter the categorical variable under Categorical variables for grouping.
6. Select OK.

Tip Display descriptive statistics by group in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > Display Descriptive Statistics.
2. Enter the quantitative variable under Variables.
3. Enter the categorical variable under By variables.
4. Select the Statistics tab.
5. Select the statistics you want Minitab to display.
6. Select OK.

Hypothesis tests

Tip Conduct an independent two-sample t hypothesis test with raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 2-Sample t.
2. Enter the quantitative response variable under Samples.
3. Enter the categorical explanatory variable under Sample IDs.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
6. Select OK.

Tip Conduct an independent two-sample t hypothesis test with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 2-Sample t.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Summarized data.
3. Enter the summarized data for both samples.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
6. Select OK.

Confidence intervals

Tip Construct an independent two-sample t confidence interval in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 2-Sample t.
2. Enter the raw data variables or select Summarized data and enter the summarized data for both samples.
3. Select the Options tab.
4. Enter the appropriate confidence level.
5. Set the alternative hypothesis to not equal.
6. Select OK.

Hypothesis tests

Tip Conduct a paired t hypothesis test in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > Paired t.
2. Enter the appropriate columns under Sample 1 and Sample 2.
3. Select Perform hypothesis test.
4. Enter the null-hypothesis value.
5. Select the Options tab.
6. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
7. Select OK.

Confidence intervals

Tip Construct a paired t confidence interval in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > Paired t.
2. Enter the appropriate columns under Sample 1 and Sample 2.
3. Select the Options tab.
4. Enter the appropriate confidence level.
5. Set the alternative hypothesis to not equal.
6. Select OK.

Two Quantitative Variables

Tip Create a scatterplot in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Scatterplot.
2. Select Simple.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the response variable under Y variables.
5. Enter the explanatory variable under X variables.
6. Select OK.

Tip Create a scatterplot with groups in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Scatterplot.
2. Select One Y Variable, Groups Overlaid.
3. Select OK.
4. Enter the response variable under Y variables.
5. Enter the explanatory variable under X variables.
6. Enter the categorical variable under Group Variables.
7. Select OK.

Tip Create a fitted line plot in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Regression > Fitted Line Plot.
2. Enter the response variable under Response (Y).
3. Enter the explanatory variable under Predictor (X).
4. Select OK.

Tip Calculate and display a correlation in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > Correlation.
2. Select the two quantitative variables.
3. Select the Graphs tab.
4. Select Statistics to display on plot.
5. Select Correlations.
6. Select OK.

Tip Calculate and display a correlation matrix in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > Correlation.
2. Enter three or more quantitative variables in the Variables box.
3. Select Graphs and choose Correlations and p-values from the dropdown menu.
4. Select Results and verify that Correlation matrix and Pairwise correlation table are checked.
5. Select OK, then select OK again.

Tip Conduct a hypothesis test for correlation in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > Correlation.
2. Select the two quantitative variables.
3. Select the Graphs tab.
4. Select Statistics to display on plot.
5. Select Correlations and p-values.
6. Select OK.

Tip Fit a simple linear regression model in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Regression > Regression > Fit Regression Model.
2. Enter the response variable under Responses.
3. Enter the explanatory variable under Continuous predictors.
4. Select the Results tab.
5. Under Display of results, select Basic tables.
6. Select OK.

Note: To obtain a confidence interval for the population slope, select Expanded tables under Display of results. The expanded output contains additional information that may not be needed for the current analysis.

Two Categorical Variables

Tip Create side-by-side bar charts from raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Bar Chart.
2. Select Counts of unique values.
3. Select Multiple Variables.
4. Enter the categorical variables.
5. Select OK.

Tip Create side-by-side bar charts from a two-way table in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Bar Chart.
2. Select Summarized Data in a Table.
3. Under Two-Way Table, select Clustered or Stacked.
4. Select OK.
5. Enter the columns containing the counts under Y-variables.
6. Enter the column containing the row labels under Row labels.
7. Select OK.

Tip Create a stacked bar chart from raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Graph > Bar Chart.
2. Select Counts of unique values.
3. Select Multiple Variables.
4. Select OK.
5. Enter the categorical variables.
6. Under Display categorical variables, select Last variable stacked.
7. Select OK.

Tip Create a two-way table in Minitab:

1. Open the data file in Minitab.
2. Select Stat > Tables > Cross Tabulation and Chi-Square.
3. Enter one categorical variable under Rows.
4. Enter the other categorical variable under Columns.
5. Select the table entries and statistics you want Minitab to display.
6. Select OK.

Hypothesis tests

Tip Conduct a two-proportion hypothesis test with raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 2 Proportions.
2. Enter the response variable under Samples.
3. Enter the explanatory variable under Sample IDs.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
6. Under Test Method, select Use the pooled estimate of the proportion.
7. Select OK.

Tip Conduct a two-proportion hypothesis test with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 2 Proportions.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Summarized data.
3. Enter the summarized data for both samples.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Select the appropriate alternative hypothesis.
6. Under Test Method, select Use the pooled estimate of the proportion.
7. Select OK.

Confidence intervals

Tip Construct a confidence interval for a difference in proportions with raw data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 2 Proportions.
2. Select the appropriate raw-data arrangement from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter the samples and, if applicable, the sample IDs.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Enter the appropriate confidence level.
6. Set the alternative hypothesis to not equal.
7. Select OK.

Tip Construct a confidence interval for a difference in proportions with summarized data in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Basic Statistics > 2 Proportions.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Summarized data.
3. For each sample, enter the Number of events and Number of trials.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Enter the appropriate confidence level.
6. Set the alternative hypothesis to not equal.
7. Select OK.

Tip Conduct a chi-square test of association in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Tables > Chi-Square Test for Association.
2. Select the appropriate data option for raw or summarized data.
3. Select the categorical variables.
4. Select the Statistics tab.
5. Select the statistics you want Minitab to display.
6. Select OK.

One-Way ANOVA

Tip Conduct a one-way ANOVA with Tukey pairwise comparisons in Minitab:

1. Open the data file in Minitab.
2. Select Stat > ANOVA > One-Way.
3. From the dropdown menu, select the option that matches the organization of the data:
   • If all responses are in one column, select Response data are in one column for all factor levels. Enter the quantitative response variable under Response and the categorical explanatory variable under Factor.
   • If each group is in a separate column, select Responses are in a separate column for each factor level. Enter the group columns under Responses.
4. Select Comparisons and check Tukey. Under Results, also select Tests.
5. Select OK, then OK.

Multiple Regression

Tip Fit a multiple regression model in Minitab:

1. Select Stat > Regression > Regression > Fit Regression Model.
2. Enter the response variable under Responses.
3. Enter the quantitative explanatory variables under Continuous predictors.
4. Enter any categorical explanatory variables under Categorical predictors.
5. Select the Results tab.
6. Under Display of results, select Basic tables.
7. Select OK.

Note: To obtain confidence intervals for the regression coefficients, select Expanded tables under Display of results. The expanded output contains additional information that may not be needed for the current analysis.

Tip Make a prediction or prediction interval from a fitted regression model in Minitab:

1. Fit the regression model.
2. Select Stat > Regression > Regression > Predict.
3. Select the fitted model if prompted.
4. Enter a value for each explanatory variable.
5. Select the prediction results you want Minitab to display.
6. Select OK.