TimelyScholarFree Tools › Median to Mean & SD Converter
Estimate a study's mean and standard deviation from its median with the interquartile range, the range, or both, so it can be included in a meta-analysis of means.
FreeNo account neededYour data stays in your browser
| Estimated mean | 8.667Luo et al. (2018) |
|---|---|
| Estimated SD | 4.646Shi et al. (2020) |
| Data used | Scenario 3: median, range and interquartile range |
| Skewness test | 0.444 vs critical value 0.474No significant skewness |
These estimators assume the data are roughly normally distributed. State in your methods which studies were converted and how.
Both are needed.
Minimum and maximum, quartiles, or all five.
Treat skewed data with caution.
Many studies report medians with interquartile ranges or ranges instead of means and SDs. The methods here estimate the mean and SD from these summaries, with weights that depend on the sample size.
They assume the data are roughly normal. Reporting a median often signals skewed data, so the tool also runs a skewness test; if it is significant, the estimates may be unreliable and a sensitivity analysis is advisable.
Only in large samples from symmetric distributions. The Luo method gives a better estimate, especially in small samples.
The estimates may be biased. Consider excluding the study in a sensitivity analysis, or pooling medians instead.