Identify the statistic of interest
Determine the sample size
Calculate the sample standard deviation
Divide the sample standard deviation by the square root of the sample size
Use the formula: SE = s / √n
For a sample mean, apply SE = s / √n
For a population proportion, apply SE = √[p(1 – p) / n]
For a difference between two means, apply SE = √[(s1² / n1) + (s2² / n2)]
For a difference between two proportions, apply SE = √[p1(1 – p1) / n1 + p2(1 – p2) / n2]
For a regression coefficient, use the coefficient’s estimated standard error from the model output
Check assumptions required for the chosen standard error formula
Use software or a calculator when manual computation is impractical