The standard deviation of a theoretical distribution of sample means of a variable around the true population mean of that variable. Standard error is computed as the standard deviation of the variable divided by the square root of the sample size
Richard C. Dicker, (Lead Author), Fatima Coronado, Denise Koo and Roy Gibson Parrish, Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice (Glossary of Epidemiology Terms), 3rd Ed., Developed by: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), Office of Workforce and Career Development, Career Development Division, Career Paths to Public Health Program, Scientific Education and Professional Development Program Office, GA, The Public Health Foundation, EXCITE!: Excellence in Curriculum Innovation through Teaching Epidemiology and the Science of Public Health, http://www.cdc.gov/excite/library/glossary.htm, USA 2006. (Epid - Amer) {686}