STEP by STEP on How to Create Error Bars in a Graph by Using Microsoft Excel 2013

As a Science postgraduate student, we often encounter the following question from our supervisor, “Where is the error bar in your graph?” Error bars are a graphical representation of the variability of data and are used on graphs to indicate the error, or uncertainty in a reported measurement [1].Error bar is important especially to represent your findings in an article, for example:

Adapted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: [NATURE] (Dalladay-Simpson, P., Howie, R. T., & Gregoryanz, E. (2016). Evidence for a new phase of dense hydrogen  above 325 gigapascals. Nature, 529(7584), 63-67. doi: 10.1038/nature16164

The values of Time (min) and Average Temperature (ᴼC) for the following example were taken from this video. Time (min) is independent variable (IDV) while Average Temperature (ᴼC) is dependent variable (DV). The following Step By Step creating error bar in graph was done by Microsoft Excel 2013 (the steps may vary for different version of Microsoft Excel)

Average values were calculated by =AVERAGE(XX:XX) formula:

Standard deviation values were calculated by the following formula: =STDEV(XX:XX):

Highlight the values in the Time (min) column:

Now while hitting CTRL tab continuously, highlight Average Temperature (ᴼC) values: 

Release the CTRL tab after two columns - Time (min) and Average Temperature (ᴼC) are highlighted:

Click INSERT > CHART > Scatter. You will see your scatter graph created:

Next. Click Design > Error Bar > More Error Bars Options…:

ERROR BAR option on the bottom left of your excel sheet. Scroll down by using the far left tab (as in green circle), and check Custom and click Specify Value (red rectangle):

When Custom Error Bar box pop up, delete “={1}” in Positive Error Value and Negative Error Value by using <-BACK SPACE tab:

Now, click on the small icon (as shown by red arrow) :

After that, highlight S.D. values, and click on icon (as shown by red arrow):

Repeat the same procedure for Negative Error Value, and hit OK:

Next, click on one of the HORIZONTAL error bar in the graph (as shown by red arrow):

:

 Then, in the Format Error Bars > Error Amount> check Fixed value and enter “0”:

 Close the Format Error Bars Box and Walla! You will get a vertical error bar in your graph:

ZOOM IN :

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Error_bar

2. https://youtu.be/2Etko-slowk
3. Dalladay-Simpson, P., Howie, R. T., & Gregoryanz, E. (2016). Evidence for a new phase of dense hydrogen  above 325 gigapascals. Nature, 529(7584), 63-67. doi: 10.1038/nature16164

Prepared by,

MOHAMMAD HAFIZ BIN HAMZAH

M. Sc. (Last updated: 09.01.2016)

DISCLAIMER: All of the information provided by Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah is correct by the time of publishing. All links provided are active by the time of publishing. Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah will not responsible for any loss or damage caused by using the information in this website.

Steps on how to find the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index Expended (SCIE) in Master Journal List Thomson Reuters

1. Go to Master Journal List (MJL) website.

2. You will find Journal lists for searchable database as shown below:

Figure 1 : SSCI and SCIE

3. Click on SSCI to find the list of journal covered under SSCI: 

Figure 2 : Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) 

4. Same as click on SCIE to find the journal covered under SCIE:

Figure 3 : Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)

Reference:

1. Personal communication (03.01.2016) between Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah and Deepikal Kusha Dass, Customer Support Representative, Customer Care - Asia Pacific, Thomson Reuters.

Prepared by,

MOHAMMAD HAFIZ BIN HAMZAH

M. Sc. (Last updated: 03.01.2016)

DISCLAIMER: All of the information provided by Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah is correct by the time of publishing. All links provided are active by the time of publishing. Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah will not responsible for any loss or damage caused by using the information in this website.

BLACKLISTED JOURNALS BY MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION MALAYSIA (MOHE)

FOUR (4) publishers NOT Recognized by Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education  (MOHE):

1.            EuroJournalsInc.

2.            CommonGround Publishing

3.            AcademicJournals

4.            AfricanWorld Press

List of Journals by Euro Journals Inc

• Indexed by Scopus

1.            European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative  Sciences

2.            European Journal of Scientific Research

3.            European Jounal of Social Sciences

4.            International Research Journal of Finance and Economics

5.            American Journal of Scientific Research

• Not indexed by ISI WOS or Scopus

1.            American Journal of Scientific Research

2.            European Journal of Technology and Advanced Engineering  Research

3.            International Bulletin of Business Administration

4.            International Journal of African Studies

5.            International Journal of Soft Computing Applications

6.            Journal of Money, Investment and Banking

7.            Middle Eastern Economics and Finance

8.            Research Journal of International Studies

9.            The Review of Financial and Accounting Studies 

(Source: www.eurojournals.com) see post in scholarly open access

List of Journals by Common Ground Publishing

• Indexed by Scopus

1.            International Journal of Learning

2.            International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change  Management

3.            International Journal of the Humanities

4.            The International Journal of the Inclusive Museum

5.            The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social  Sciences

6.            The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social  Sustainability

• Not indexed by ISI WOS or Scopus

1.            Aging and Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal

2.            Design Principles and Practices: An International  Journal

3.            Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal

4.            International Journal of Science in Society

 5.           Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and Extra-Urban  Studies

6.            The Global Studies Journal

7.            The International Journal of Climate Change

8.            The International Journal of Health, Wellness and  Society

9.            The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in  Society

10.          The International Journal of Sport and Society

11.          The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and  Society

12.          The International Journal of the Arts in Society

13.          The International Journal of the Book

14.          The International Journal of the Constructed  Environment

15.          The International Journal of the Image

16.          The Journal of the World Universities Forum

17.          Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal 

(Source: commongroundpublishing.com)

List of Journals by Academic Journals

• Indexed by ISI WOS or Scopus (Impact Factor  Journal)

1.            African Journal of Agricultural Research

2.            African Journal of Biotechnology

3.            African Journal of Business Management

4.            African Journal of Microbiology Research

5.            African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology

6.            Educational Research and Reviews

7.            International Journal of Genetics and Molecular Biology

8.            International Journal of the Physical Sciences

9.            Journal of Medical Plants Research

10.          Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy

11.          Scientific Research and Essays

• Not indexed by ISI WOS or Scopus

1.            Journal of Plant Breeding and Crop Science

2.            Journal of Horticulture and Forestry

3.            International Journal of Livestock Production

4.            International Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture

5.            Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics

6.            Journal of Agricultural Biotechnology and Sustainable  Development

7.            Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development

8.            Journal of Cereals and Oilseeds

9.            Journal of Soil Science and Environmental Management

10.          Journal of Stored Products and Postharvest Research

11.          International Journal of Psychology and Counselling

12.          Philosophical Papers and Reviews

13.          International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy  Studies

14.          International Journal of Vocational and Technical  Education

15.          African Journal of History and Culture

16.          International Journal of Library and Information Science

17.          Journal of Media and Communication Studies

18.          International Journal of English and Literature

19.          Journal of African Studies and Development

20.          Journal of Fine and Studio Art

21.          Journal of Languages and Culture

22.          Journal of Music and Dance

23.          International Journal of Science and Technology Education  Research

24.          Journal of Physical Education and Sport Management

25.          Journal of Cell and Animal Biology

26.          Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Reviews

27.          African Journal of Biochemistry Research

28.          African Journal of Environmental Science and  Technology

29.          African Journal of Food Science

30.          African Journal of Plant Science

31.          Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment

32.          Journal of Entomology and Nematology

33.          Journal of Bacteriology Research

34.          Journal of Bioinformatics and Sequence Analysis

35.          Journal of General and Molecular Virology

36.          International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation

37.          Journal of Biophysics and Structural Biology

38.          Journal of Evolutionary Biology Research

39.          Journal of Yeast and Fungal Research

40.          International Journal of Plant Physiology and  Biochemistry

41.          Journal of Brewing and Distilling

42.          Journal of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics  Research

43.          Journal of Developmental Biology and Tissue  Engineering

44.          Journal of Microbiology and Antimicrobials

45.          International Journal for Biotechnology and Molecular Biology  Research

46.          Journal of Engineering and Technology Research

47.          International Journal of Water Resources and  Environmental

48.          Journal of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

49.          Journal of Civil Engineering and Construction  Technology

50.          International Journal of Computer Engineering Research

51.          Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering  Research

52.          Journal of Engineering and Computer Innovations

53.          Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research

54.          Journal of Petroleum and Gas Engineering

55.          Journal of Law and Conflict Resolution

56.          International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences

57.          Journal of Dentistry and Oral Hygiene

58.          International Journal of Nursing and Midwifery

59.          Journal of Parasitology and Vector Biology

60.          Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health

61.          Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences

62.          Clinical Reviews and Opinions

63.          International Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism

64.          Journal of AIDS and HIV Research

65.          Journal of Cancer Research and Experimental  Oncology

66.          Journal of Cell Biology and Genetics

67.          Journal of Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology  Research

68.          Journal of Clinical Medicine and Research

69.          Journal of Clinical Pathology and Forensic Medicine

70.          Journal of Diabetes and Endocrinology

71.          Journal of Infectious Diseases and Immunity

72.          Journal of Medical Genetics and Genomics

73.          Journal of Medical Laboratory and Diagnosis

74.          Journal of Metabolomics and Systems Biology

75.          Journal of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health

76.          Journal of Physiology and Pathophysiology

77.          Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology

78.          Medical Case Studies

79.          Medical Practice and Reviews

80.          Research in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

81.          International NGO Journal

82.          International Journal of Peace and Development Studies

83.          African Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science  Research

84.          African Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry

85.          Journal of Geology and Mining Research

86.          Journal of Environmental Chemistry and  Ecotoxicology

87.          Journal of Internet and Information Systems

88.          Journal of Oceanography and Marine Science

89.          Journal of Petroleum Technology and Alternative Fuels

90.          Journal of Geography and Regional Planning

91.          African Journal of Political Science and International  Relations

92.          Journal of Economics and International Finance

93.          Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism

94.          Journal of Accounting and Taxation

95.          International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology

96.          Journal of Public Administration and Policy Research

97.          African Journal of Marketing Management

(Source: www.academicjournals.org)

Reference:

1. IIUM Press RESEARCH MANAGEMENT CENTRE

2. Facebook Post by Zul Azeze in Doctorate Support Group

Prepared by,

MOHAMMAD HAFIZ BIN HAMZAH

M. Sc. (Last updated: 01.01.2016)

DISCLAIMER: All of the information provided by Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah is correct by the time of publishing. All links provided are active by the time of publishing. Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah will not responsible for any loss or damage caused by using the information in this website.

Example on How to Determine a Journal is indexed by Thomson Reuters-Web of Science (WoS)

Question:

Determine whether the following journal title is indexed by Thomson Reuters-Web of Science (WoS) and find the journal's impact factor (IF) by using JCR Edition 2014 if applicable:

1. Clinics

2. Journal of Applied Sciences

3. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health

4. Women's Health Issue


Answer:

1. Clinics is a WoS indexed with IF 1.185 (Q3 in MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL)

2. Journal of Applied Sciences is not WoS indexed

3. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health is WoS indexed with IF 1.459 (Q3 in PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH)

4. Womens Health Issue is WoS indexed with IF 2.330 (Q1 in PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH and Q1 in WOMEN'S STUDIES)


Step by Step how to tackle Question No. 4:

1. Try to search the journal's name in Google. TIPS: Try to search by <JOURNAL NAME> + <journal> if the journal's name does not include the word "journal" like "Women's Health Issue". For example, "Women's Health Issue Journal" (Figure 1). No 1 result is not the journal website and maybe an organization. Second result is an journal since the publisher is Elsevier, a reknown publisher.

Figure 1 : Result of searching for "Women's Health Issue Journal" in Google

2. Try to find the journal's ISSN number from the journal's website (Figure 2). I will suggest you to use ISSN when searching for a journal in Master Journal List (MJL) and Journal Citation Report (JCR). ISSN number is like a birth certificate of a journal. It safer to use ISSN number for searching since the name of the journal may be differ from what is indexed by Thomson Reuters in Web of Science (WoS). In this case, ISSN number for Women's Health Issue by Elsevier is 1049-3867 (as in red box in Figure 2).

Figure 2 : ISSN number for "Women's Health Issue" journal

3. Try to find the journal's name in Master Journal List (MJL). Enter the Women's Health Issue journal ISSN no. in the search term box as in Figure 2 (green box). Remember to change the seaech type from "Title Word" to "ISSN" (Figure 2 - red box).

Figure 3 : Searching for a journal in Master Journal List (MJL) by using ISSN no.

The result from MJL is shown in Figure 3. Click on coverage tab as in red box of Figure 4 and you will find that Women's Health Issue journal is covered under Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and current content - Social & Behavioral Science (green box in Figure 3). It confirmed that Women's Health Issue is indexed in Web of Science (WoS). (Criteria for a journal to be indexed in WoS can be found here).

Figure 4 : Women's Health Issue in SSCI, WoS

4. Since Women's Health Issue journal is confirmed to be covered under SSCI, Wos, then we can try to find the journal's IF in JCR. Since Women's Health Issue journal is indexed under SSCI, we should use JCR Social Science Edition 2014 (Figure 5 - red box) and select an option "Search for a specific journal" as in green box of Figure 5. Click Submit.

Figure 5 : JCR searching

Try to insert the Women's Health Issue journal's ISSN no., 1049-3867 in "Type search term" box and remember to change "Search by" box to ISSN (Figure 6). Click Search.

Figure 6 : Searching by using ISSN no.

You will find Journal summary list as shown in Figure 7. Then, click on journal abbreviation name as shown in red box of Figure 7.

Figure 7 : Journal Summary List

Then, click on "JOURNAL RANKING" under Journal Information (red box in Figure 8)

Figure 8 : JOURNAL RANKING tab

You can find that IF for Women's Health Issue journal is 2.330 (as in red box of Figure 9) and its Quartile in Category (green circle of Figure 9)

Figure 9 : Journal Ranking Information

Women's Health Issue journal is WoS indexed with IF 2.330 (Q1 in PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH and Q1 in WOMEN'S STUDIES)

Prepared by,

MOHAMMAD HAFIZ BIN HAMZAH

M. Sc. (Last updated: 01.01.2016)

DISCLAIMER: All of the information provided by Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah is correct by the time of publishing. All links provided are active by the time of publishing. Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah will not responsible for any loss or damage caused by using the information in this website.

Alternative to check Similarities Index

Below is the list of websites that can check similarities index of your document for FREE. But please think twice because the file that you uploaded may be view by third party or may cause virus to infect your document/PC etc. I STRONGLY NOT RECOMMEND you to upload your file to these websites. However, it is up to you.

1. VIPER Plagiarism Scanner

2. Dupli Checker

3. Plagiarisma

4. The Plagirism Checker

5. Crossref,org

6. PlagirismDetect.org

7. iThenticate (Usually owned by Journal Publisher.You need a subscription).

8. Plagiarism tool

9. WriteCheck

10. Docoloc

11. PaperRater

Reference: 

1. Research Tool by Nader Ale Ebrahim

Prepared by,

MOHAMMAD HAFIZ BIN HAMZAH

M. Sc. (Last updated: 29.12.2015)

DISCLAIMER: All of the information provided by Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah is correct by the time of publishing. All links provided are active by the time of publishing. Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah will not responsible for any loss or damage caused by using the information in this website.

STEP BY STEP on How To Check Similarities Index (Avoiding Plagirism) By Using Turnitin (Universiti Malaya's Student)

Why you need to check your paper/thesis for Similarities Index?

Your paper may be get rejected if the similarities index is too high (Figure 1)

Figure 1: Paper rejected

It is recommended for Universiti Malaya's student to check with Turnitin (Figure 2) before submitting thesis for examination/final thesis submission as stated in here and here.

Figure 2 : Universiti Malaya's Thesis Submission form

Ways to do it!:

1. Create a new student account (Figure 2). Your need to get the Class ID and the Class enrolment password from the Universiti Malaya's Information Counter located at the Ground Floor Perpustakaan, Utama Universiti Malaya. IMPORTANT: You need to register using your siswamail id since the librarian WILL DELETE your profile if you are using other email id such as yahoo or gmail.

Figure 3: Create a New Student Account

2. Log in again by using your using your registered email and password (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Turnitin Log In page

3. Enter your Class/Section ID and Enrollment Password (Figure 5). 

Figure 5 : Class/Section and Enrollment Password

4. You will directed to Homepage listing Class ID and Class Name (Figure 6).

Figure 6 : Homepage of turnitin

5. Click on Class name and you will be directed to Assignment Inbox page (Figure 7).

Figure 7 : Assignment Inbox

6. In assignment inbox, click on SUBMIT, FILL IN your Submission title (Figure 8), upload your file (either in Word or pdf) and CLICK upload (Figure 9)

Figure 8: Fill in Submission Title and Upload file

Figure 9 : Uploading your file

7. Please confirm your submission by clicking on CONFIRM button (Figure 10).

Figure 10 : Confirmation of submission

8. Now, you have completed your submission (Figure 11). Return back to class assignment.

Figure 11 : Submission complete

9. You will receive your submission receipt acknowledgement in your siswamail (Figure 12)

Figure 12 ; Acknowledgment receipt from Turnitin

11. Besides that, you can Download the Receipt by clicking download icon in the Assignment inbox (Figure 13). You can always Resubmit a new document and View you submitted file while your document being processed by Turnitin simply by clicking the respective icon in the assignment inbox (Figure 14)

Figure 13 : Download receipt from the assignment inbox

Figure 14 : Resubmit and View icons

10. When you go back to class assignment inbox, you will immediately get your similarities index report (Usually you will get ASAP report for 1st submission, for 2nd submission you will get your similarities report up to 24 hours after you upload your file) (Figure 15)

Figure 15 : Similarities index report

11. Click on Similarity percentage (for my case 63%) and new window will pop up showing your similarities report (Figure 14). You can either print or download your report simply by clicking on the printer or download icon at the top right corner of the window (Figure 16).

Figure 16 : Similarities index report by turnitin

What if your university does not subscribe turnitin? Why not try a free alternatives here.

Credit to: Maisie Nur for Figure A and Figure B.

Additional info for Universiti Malaya's postgraduate on HOW TO AVOID PLAGIRISM can be found HERE.

Prepared by,

MOHAMMAD HAFIZ BIN HAMZAH

M. Sc. (Last updated: 03.01.2016)

DISCLAIMER: All of the information provided by Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah is correct by the time of publishing. All links provided are active by the time of publishing. Mohammad Hafiz Bin Hamzah will not responsible for any loss or damage caused by using the information in this website.