A method devised to measure the zeta potential of macroscopic surfaces with Navier velocity slip non-destructively exploiting electrokinetic flows in a microchannel. For an accurate as well as facile determination of zeta potential using this method, we need a simple relationship between zeta potential and streaming potential for electrokinetic flows in microchannels with consideration of the possibility of the Navier velocity slip. In the present investigation, we derive a semi-analytic formula for this relationship based on a one-dimensional modeling of electrokinetic flow in microchannels, which is as accurate as the numerical solution of the full governing partial differential equations. This formula is expected to allow accurate measurements of zeta potential of various macroscopic surfaces with Navier velocity slip. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.