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TWO-WAY ANOVA
SPSS STATISTICS

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Introduction
The two-way ANOVA is used to determine whether there is an interaction effect between two independent variables on a continuous
dependent variable (i.e., if a two-way interaction effect exists). In many ways, the two-way ANOVA can be considered as an extension of
the one-way ANOVA, which deals with just one independent variable rather than the two-way independent variables of the two-way ANOVA.

Note: It is quite common for the independent variables to be called "factors" or "between-subjects factors", but we will continue to
refer to them as independent variables in this guide. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the two-way ANOVA is also referred to as a
"factorial ANOVA" or, more specifically, as a "two-way between-subjects ANOVA".

A two-way ANOVA can be used in a number of situations. For example, consider an experiment where two drugs were being given to
elderly patients to treat heart disease. One of the drugs was the current drug being used to treat heart disease and the other was an
experimental drug that the researchers wanted to compare to the current drug. The researchers also wanted to understand how the drugs
compared in low and high risk elderly patients. The goal was for the drugs to lower cholesterol concentration in the blood. The two
independent variables are drug with two levels ("Current" and "Experimental") and risk with two levels ("Low" and "High"). The dependent
variable was cholesterol (i.e., cholesterol concentration in the blood). The researchers want to know: (a) whether the experimental drug is
better or worse than the current drug at lowering cholesterol; and (b) whether the effect of the two drugs is different depending on whether
elderly patients are classified at low or high risk. These two aims are entirely typical of a two-way ANOVA analysis as we will explain on the
next page. Importantly, the second aim of these researchers is answered by determining whether there is a statistically significant interaction
effect. This is usually given first priority in a two-way ANOVA analysis because its result will determine whether the researchers' first aim is
misleading or incomplete. Assuming that a statistically significant interaction effect is found, this indicates that the two drugs have different
effects in low and high risk elderly patients (i.e., the effect of drug on cholesterol depends on level of risk). We explain further on the next
page. Depending on whether you find a statistically significant interaction, and the type of interaction, will determine which effects in the
two-way ANOVA you should interpret and any post hoc tests you may want to run. These issues are explained as you work through the
guide, so you will know exactly what each statistical test is telling you and how to write up your results accurately.

Note: A two-way ANOVA can be described by the number of groups in each independent variable. So, for example, if you had a two-
way ANOVA with gender (male/female) and transport type (bus/train/car) as the independent variables, you could describe this as a 2 x
3 ANOVA. This is a fairly generic way to describe ANOVAs with two or more between-subjects factors (e.g., a three-way ANOVA could
be written 2 x 3 x 5 ANOVA if another independent variable was included which had five groups).

If you know little about the two-way ANOVA, you are most likely to benefit from reading about its main characteristics and basic
requirements on page 3. However, if you already understand the main characteristics of the two-way ANOVA, we would suggest starting
with the example we use throughout this guide (the Example & Data Setup section on page 4). This also includes an SPSS Statistics data file
you can download so that you can work through the example used in this guide (e.g., if you want to practice before carrying out the two-way
ANOVA on your own data). This leads on to the data setup process in SPSS Statistics, which we also cover on page 4.

If you have already set up your data correctly, you can start by running the two-way ANOVA procedure in the Procedure section on page 5.
Immediately afterwards is the Assumptions section starting on page 6, where we explain the assumptions of the two-way ANOVA, including
tests for two of the three assumptions you can carry out using SPSS Statistics: (a) testing for outliers using boxplots; and (b) testing for
normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test of normality. You will discover that a lot of the time you spend analysing your data using a two-way
ANOVA is dedicated not only to determining whether your data meets or violates these assumptions, but making decisions about how to
proceed if any of these assumptions are violated. Therefore, on page 7, the procedure to detect outliers and normality is set out, before we
show you how to interpret the SPSS Statistics output from testing these two assumptions, as well as explaining how to deal with violations of
these assumptions (pages 8 and 9). Finally, we explain how to determine whether you have met the assumption of homogeneity of
variances on page 10.

When you reach the Interpreting Results section (pages 11 to 20), you'll be in a position to start interpreting your results. How far you need to
work through this section will depend on your results since there are many potential follow-up tests that can be run if you have a statistically
significant two-way interaction. Possible tests that you will need to consider include simple main effects, main effects and interaction
contrasts. Each of these tests require further procedures using SPSS Statistics, so we show you how to carry these out, as well as how to
interpret and report the results, throughout this section. Finally, in the Reporting section we show you how you can bring this all together
into a single paragraph that explains your results.

If you get lost as you work through the guide, there is a Table of Contents on the next page, or simply use the article menu above to
navigate to the different sections within the guide. Also, if you want to reference this guide or view the reference list, see the Referencing
section. Finally, we're constantly working to improve the content in the site, so if you find anything in the guide unclear or if there is anything
else you would like to see covered, please contact us. We may be able to add a note or new section to the guide to make things clearer.

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