APA reporting

APA Statistics Reporting: Copy-Paste Templates for Every Test in Your Thesis

Q: My SPSS output shows p = .000 - how do I report it in APA?

SPSS rounds to three decimal places and displays .000 when the actual p-value is smaller than .0005. Report this as p < .001, never as p = .000 or p = 0.

Q: Do I need to italicise statistical symbols in my thesis?

Yes, according to APA 7th edition. All statistical symbols that are abbreviations of Latin or Greek letters should be italicised: M, SD, t, F, r, p, N, n. Greek letters (χ, η, β, ρ) are not italicised.

Q: Which effect size measure should I use for each statistical test?

t-test: Cohen's d. One-way ANOVA: eta-squared (η²) or partial eta-squared (ηp²). Mann-Whitney U: r (rank-biserial correlation). Chi-square: Cramér's V. Pearson/Spearman: r or ρ is itself the effect size. Regression: R² for the model, β for individual predictors.

Q: Do I need to report both significant and non-significant results in my thesis?

Yes - always report all results, not just significant ones. Reporting only significant findings is selective reporting and a form of publication bias. For non-significant results, report the test statistic, degrees of freedom, exact p-value, and effect size, then interpret: "No significant difference was found, suggesting..." Suppressing non-significant results is considered unethical in research.

Q: How do I report multiple statistical tests in the same thesis results section?

Present results in the order of your research questions or hypotheses - not by test type. For each analysis: (1) state what you tested and which test you used, (2) confirm assumption checks were met, (3) report the test statistics in APA format, (4) interpret the finding in one sentence. Use subheadings (Research Question 1, Hypothesis 1, etc.) to organise sections with multiple analyses.

April 20264 min read

APA statistical reporting is stricter than most students expect - and the formatting errors reviewers flag most often are the easiest to fix. The most common mistakes: reporting p = .000 instead of p < .001, using a leading zero (p = 0.05 instead of p = .05), and omitting effect size. Use these copy-paste APA format templates for every common thesis statistical test and you won't need to guess again.

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APA Statistical Reporting Rules That Apply to Every Test

Always italicise test statistics and their symbols: t, F, r, χ², U, H.

Report exact p-values (e.g., p = .023), not p < .05, unless the value is less than .001 (then report p < .001).

Report degrees of freedom in parentheses: t(48), F(2, 97), χ²(1).

Do not include a leading zero before the decimal point for values that cannot exceed 1 (p-values, correlations, effect sizes): write p = .032, not p = 0.032.

Always report effect size alongside the test statistic.

Independent Samples T-Test: APA Format Template

Significant: "An independent samples t-test revealed that Group A (M = 74.2, SD = 8.1) scored significantly higher than Group B (M = 68.5, SD = 9.3), t(48) = 2.31, p = .025, d = 0.65."

Non-significant: "An independent samples t-test found no significant difference between Group A (M = 71.3, SD = 7.8) and Group B (M = 69.8, SD = 8.2), t(48) = 0.68, p = .498, d = 0.19."

One-Way ANOVA: APA Format Template

Significant: "A one-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of study method on exam score, F(2, 87) = 8.42, p < .001, η² = .16. Post-hoc comparisons using Tukey's HSD indicated that..."

Non-significant: "A one-way ANOVA found no significant effect of study method on exam score, F(2, 87) = 1.23, p = .296, η² = .03."

Mann-Whitney U Test: APA Format Template

Significant: "A Mann-Whitney U test indicated that satisfaction ratings were significantly higher in the treatment group (Mdn = 4) than the control group (Mdn = 2), U = 234, z = −3.41, p = .001, r = .48."

Non-significant: "A Mann-Whitney U test found no significant difference in satisfaction between groups, U = 312, z = −0.87, p = .386, r = .12."

Chi-Square Test of Independence: APA Format Template

Significant: "A Chi-square test of independence revealed a significant association between gender and course selection, χ²(2) = 8.14, p = .017, Cramér's V = .29."

Non-significant: "A Chi-square test of independence found no significant association between gender and course selection, χ²(2) = 1.23, p = .541, Cramér's V = .11."

Pearson and Spearman Correlation: APA Format Templates

Pearson: "There was a significant positive correlation between study time and exam score, r(48) = .62, p < .001."

Spearman: "Motivation rank was significantly positively correlated with course satisfaction, rs(48) = .58, p = .003."

Linear Regression: APA Format Template

Model summary: "Study time significantly predicted exam score, R² = .38, F(1, 48) = 29.5, p < .001."

Coefficient: "Study time was a significant predictor, B = 2.31, β = .62, t(48) = 5.43, p < .001."

Frequently asked questions

My SPSS output shows p = .000 - how do I report it in APA?

▾

SPSS rounds to three decimal places and displays .000 when the actual p-value is smaller than .0005. Report this as p < .001, never as p = .000 or p = 0.

Do I need to italicise statistical symbols in my thesis?

▾

Yes, according to APA 7th edition. All statistical symbols that are abbreviations of Latin or Greek letters should be italicised: M, SD, t, F, r, p, N, n. Greek letters (χ, η, β, ρ) are not italicised.

Which effect size measure should I use for each statistical test?

▾

t-test: Cohen's d. One-way ANOVA: eta-squared (η²) or partial eta-squared (ηp²). Mann-Whitney U: r (rank-biserial correlation). Chi-square: Cramér's V. Pearson/Spearman: r or ρ is itself the effect size. Regression: R² for the model, β for individual predictors.

Do I need to report both significant and non-significant results in my thesis?

▾

Yes - always report all results, not just significant ones. Reporting only significant findings is selective reporting and a form of publication bias. For non-significant results, report the test statistic, degrees of freedom, exact p-value, and effect size, then interpret: "No significant difference was found, suggesting..." Suppressing non-significant results is considered unethical in research.

How do I report multiple statistical tests in the same thesis results section?

▾

Present results in the order of your research questions or hypotheses - not by test type. For each analysis: (1) state what you tested and which test you used, (2) confirm assumption checks were met, (3) report the test statistics in APA format, (4) interpret the finding in one sentence. Use subheadings (Research Question 1, Hypothesis 1, etc.) to organise sections with multiple analyses.

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