Standard deviation and standard error

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The discussion centers on the interpretation of temperature reporting using statistical measures. The mean temperature is given as 21.2°C, with a standard deviation of 2°C and a standard error of 0.8°C. The textbook indicates that the temperature can be reported as 21.2 ± 2°C using standard deviation, or 21.2 ± 0.8°C using standard error. A key point raised is the inability to determine whether the reported uncertainty is based on standard deviation or standard error without additional context. It emphasizes the importance of clearly indicating the type of uncertainty figure used, as it could also represent other statistical measures like a 95% confidence interval.
i_love_science
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The mean of some data was 21.2°C, the standard deviation was 2, and the standard error was 0.8.

My textbook says that using one standard deviation, we would report the temperature of the substance as 21.2 ± 2°C, while using the standard error, the temperature would be reported as 21.2 ± 0.8°C.

If I did not know whether the temperature was reported using standard deviation or standard error, how would I determine that from the given value itself?

Thanks.
 
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You can't. Without any indication, it could be SD or SE, or something else, e.g. 95% confidence interval (±2 SE). You should always make it clear what your uncertainty figure refers to.
 
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