ResultsAPA Results Section

Purpose of the results section...

• Report the statistical analyses of the data collected in your study

• Determine how confident we are that the IV(s) produced a change in the DV

APA Results

• Results section should include...

• Objective description of findings What your data showed NOT your interpretation

of the data

• Description of how the data were analyzed

• A report of all results relating to your original research question/hypothesis

APA Results

• Important points...

• Begin with the most important results and then make your way to secondary findings What are the “most important results”?

• Describe all relevant results, even if they are contrary to your predictions

• HOWEVER...don’t include every piece of data you obtained from your study What data should be reported?

APA Results

What does this mean?

T(49) = 4.73, p < .05

T-test Degrees of

Freedom(n-1)

Calculated value of t

Level of significance

APA Results

Overview of Results Section

• Begin with descriptive statistics (means & SD) reported for each group or variable– Descriptive statistics can be represented by graphs

or tables but ONLY if results are significant

• Next include significance tests or correlations

APA Results

Example write up:

A t-test revealed that participants exposed to uncontrollable noise made more errors M = 7.5(2.88) than participants who were exposed to controllable noises M = 4.3(2.96), t(39) = 4.77, p < .05.

mean standard deviation

APA Results

Descriptive statistics: The sample for the current study (N = 748) ranged in age from 9 to

18 (M = 13.74 years, SD = 2.56). Equal numbers of males and females

participated.

The average number of colds suffered per year was 6.9 (SD = 2.3).

Children reported relatively high levels of life satisfaction (M = 5.6,

SD = 1.1).

Children played outside, on average, 7.2 times per week (SD = 4.1).

Example

Inferential statistics (correlations):

Number of colds was inversely related to levels of life satisfaction,

r(748) = -.11; however, this correlation was small and did not reach

conventional levels of statistical significance, p = .36.

Playing outside was positively related to levels of life satisfaction,

r(748) = .56. This correlation was of moderate magnitude and

statistically significant, p < .01.

Example

Inferential statistics (t-tests): Males suffered from fewer colds per year (M = 6.2, SD = 2.5) than

girls (M = 7.1, SD = 1.9). This difference was not statistically

significant, t(746) = .45, p = .89.

Girls played outside 10.3 times per week (SD = 2.3), whereas boys

played outside 5.4 times per week (SD = 2.0). This difference

represents a medium effect and was statistically significant, t(746) =

8.1, p < .001.

Example

Steps for Results Section

1.Remind readers of the conceptual hypotheses or

questions you are asking

2.Remind readers of behaviors measured or operations

performed

3. Provide the answer/result in plain English

4. Provide the statistic that supports your plain English

answer

5. Elaborate or qualify the overall conclusion if necessary

APA Results

• Tables & Figures (Graphs)

Good way to illustrate significant findings

Appear after the reference section in the paper

APA Results

Tables & Figures (Graphs)

Do NOT repeat the same data in both the text and in a table or figure

DO refer to the table or figure somewhere in the text

• For example: “The data in Table 3 suggest...”

NOT “The table on page 12...”

APA Results

APA Title & Introduction SectionAPA Title & Introduction Section

Table Structure

Table Example

• Graphs:

• Scatter plots• Line graphs• Bar graphs

• Charts

Figures

Questions?

APA Results