analysis of variance A general procedure for partitioning the overall variability in a set of data into components due to specified causes and random variation. It involves calculating such quantities as the ‘between-groups sum of squares' and the ‘residual sum of squares' and dividing by the degrees of freedom to give so-called ‘mean squares'. The results are usually presented in an ANOVA table, the name being derived from the opening letters of the words ‘analysis of variance'. Such a table provides a concise summary from which the influence of the explanatory variables can be estimated and hypotheses can be tested, usually by means of F-tests.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/312/7044/1472 • A description of the analysis and its interpretation in a medical context (subscription). |