Format and references

FORMAT AND REFERENCES
(APA STYLE)
May – Ann L. Norico

What is APA?
 APA stands for American Psychological Association
 APA format is the official style of the American Psychological
Association (APA) and is commonly used to cite sources
in psychology, education, and the social sciences.
 APA style originated in a 1929 article published
in Psychological Bulletin that laid out the basic guidelines.
These guidelines were eventually expanded into the APA
Publication Manual.

How to write an APA Paper
General Rules for an APA Style Paper
 Use standard-sized paper of 8.5 inches by 11 inches, and
always use a 1-inch margin on all sides.
 Your paper should always be typed, double-spaced and in a
12-point font. Times New Roman is one recommended font to
use, but you may also use similar fonts.
 Every page of your paper should also include a page header
on the top left of the page as well as a page number on the
top right of the page.

Sections of Paper
 Title Page
Title page should contain a running head, title, author name and school
affiliation.
 Abstract
An abstract is a brief summary of your paper that immediately follows your
title page. Abstract should be no more than 150 to 250 words although this
can vary depending upon the specific publication or instructor
requirements.
 The Main Body
For something like an essay, the main body of your paper will include the
actual essay itself. If you are writing a APA Paper, then your main body will
be broken down into further sections. The four main components of a lab
report include an introduction, method, results, and discussion sections.
 References
The reference section of your paper will include a list of all of the sources
that you used in your paper.

How to write a Title Page
 The title page is the first page of your psychology paper. In
order to make a good first impression, it is important to have a
well-formatted title page in proper APA format that clearly
represents your paper.
Elements of a Title Page
 Article title
 Author’s name
 Author's school affiliation
 Running head
 Page number

How to Choose a Good Title
[Specific] "Second-order Beliefs and the Use of
Self-Presentational Explanations for Behavior"
[General] "Cognitive Abilities and Social
Understanding“
How Long Should a Title Be?
The APA publication manual suggests that your title
should be no more than 12 words long.

Author’s Name and School Affiliation
 Listing your first name, middle initial(s), and last name is the
recommended format. Do not include abbreviations of titles
or degrees such as Dr. or Ph.D.
 The institutional affiliation should be the location where the
research was conducted, most often a college or university. In
some cases, research may have been supported by more than
one institution. For these instances, only include two
affiliations if both schools offered substantial support to the
research and only list two affiliations for every author. What
should you do if you were not affiliated with an academic
institution when the research was conducted? In this instance,
the APA suggests listing your city and state of residence in
place of the academic affiliation.

Running head and page Number
 A running head should be included in the upper left-hand
corner on all pages, including the title page.
 All pages, including the title page, should also have a page
number in the upper right-hand corner.
 The first line of your title page should be left-aligned at the
top of the page, using the following format:
Running head: PAGE TITLE
 Note that the running head should be listed as no more
than fifty characters, including letters, spacing between words,
and punctuation of your title in uppercase letters.
 Your title, name, and school should be double-spaced and
centered on the page.

A Quick Title Page Checklist:
 Does your title page contain a title, your name, your school
affiliation, a running head, and a page number?
 Is your title clear, specific, and does is accurately describe
what your paper is about?
 Is your running head in uppercase format and no longer than
fifty characters in length?
 Is the title, your name, and school affiliation centered on the
page and double-spaced?

How to write an abstract
The abstract is the second page of an APA-
format paper and should immediately follow
the title page.
condensed summary of your entire paper.
According to the official guidelines of the American
Psychological Association, a good abstract should
be:
Brief but packed with information.
Objective and accurate.

How to Write an Abstract
 First, write your paper.
 Begin your abstract on a new page and place your running
head and the page number 2 in the top right-hand corner.
You should also center the word Abstract at the top of the
page.
 Keep it short.
 Structure the abstract in the same order as your paper.
 Look at other abstracts in professional journals for examples
of how to summarize your paper.
 Write a rough draft of your abstract.
 Ask a friend to read over the abstract.

How to write an Introduction
Before you even begin:
Start by Researching Your Topic
Create a Detailed Outline
Once you are ready to write your introduction:
Introduce the Topic
Summarize Previous Research
Provide Your Hypothesis

How to write a method section
 The method section of an APA format psychology paper
provides the methods and procedures used in a research
study or experiment. You should provide detailed
information on the research design, participants, equipment,
materials, variables, and actions taken by the participants.
The method section should provide enough information to
allow other researchers to replicate your experiment or
study.
 The method section should utilize subheading to divide up
different subsections.
 These subsections typically include: Participants, Materials,
Design, and Procedure.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Variable
Here's How:
Participants: Describe the participants in your experiment, including who
they were, how many there were, and how they were selected.
For example:
We randomly selected 100 children from elementary schools near the
University of Arizona.
Materials: Describe the materials, measures, equipment, or stimuli used in
the experiment. This may include testing instruments, technical equipment's,
books, images, or other materials used in the course of research.
For example:
Two stories from Sullivan et al.'s (1994) second-order false belief attribution
tasks were used to assess children's understanding of second-order beliefs.

Design: Describe the type of design used in the experiment. Specify the
variables as well as the levels of these variables. Explain whether your
experiment uses a within-groups or between-groups design.
For example:
The experiment used a 3x2 between-subjects design. The independent
variables were age and understanding of second-order beliefs.
Procedure: The next part of your method section should detail the
procedures used in your experiment. Explain what you had participants do,
how you collected data, and the order in which steps occurred.
For example:
An examiner interviewed children individually at their school in one session
that lasted 20 minutes on average. The examiner explained to each child
he or she would be told two short stories and that some questions would be
asked after each story. All sessions were videotaped so the data could later
coded.

Tips:
 Always write the method section in the past tense.
 Provide enough detail that another researcher could replicate your
experiment, but focus on brevity. Avoid unnecessary detail that is not
relevant to the outcome of the experiment.
 Remember to use proper APA format. As you are writing your method
section, keep a style guide published by the American Psychological
Association on hand, such as the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association.
 Take a rough draft of your method section to your university's writing lab
for additional assistance.
 Proofread your paper for typos, grammar problems, and spelling errors.
Do not just rely on computer spell checkers. Always read through each
section of your paper for agreement with other sections. If you mention
steps and procedures in the method section, these elements should also
be present in the results and discussion sections.

How to Write an APA Format Bibliography
 An APA format bibliography is an alphabetical listing of all
sources that might be used to write a paper, essay, article or
research paper.
In order to write an APA format bibliography, you should:
1. Start Your Bibliography on a New Page
2. Gather Your Sources
3. Create an APA Reference for Each Source
4. Create an Annotation for Each Source

Why Should You Write An APA Format
Bibliography?
 One of the biggest reasons to create an APA format
bibliography is simply to make the research and writing
process easier.
 If you do not have a comprehensive list of all your references,
you might find yourself scrambling to figure out where you
found certain bits of information that you included in your
paper.
 While writing an annotated bibliography might not be
required for your assignment, it can be a very useful step. The
process of writing an annotation helps you learn more about
your topic, develop a deeper understanding of the subject,
and become better at evaluating various sources of
information.

How to Cite Sources in APA Format
 Citing Your Sources in APA Format
All of the sources that you use in your paper should be cited in
two ways. First, an in-text citation should be used wherever you
refer to another source in the body of your paper. This is often
accomplished by including the name of the source’s author and
the publication year.
The second way that sources should be cited in APA format is
to include a reference section at the end of your paper that
provides the full reference for any and every source that was
cited in the body of your paper. Always remember, if you cited
a source in your paper, it must also be included in the reference
section.

How to Cite Authors In APA Format
 No Author:
While most articles, books, and other reference materials will
include an author attribution, some sources lack information on
authorship. How to you cite these resources in APA format? In-
text citations should use a short article title enclosed in
parentheses and the date.
When article titles are long, simply use the first word or two of
the title.
For example:
The study revealed a strong positive correlation between the
two variables ("Learn APA," 2006).

 One Author:
When a book, article or other source lists only one author, simply provide the
last name followed by the publication date.
For example:
...students demonstrated solid understanding of the concepts and information
2001).
or
Jones (2001) found that students demonstrated a solid understanding of the
and information.
 Two Authors:
When a source lists two authors, your in-text citations should provide the last names
of both authors and the publication date.
For example:
...later studies demonstrated a similar effect (Ross & Hudson, 2004).
or
Ross and Hudson (2004) found a similar effect in later studies.

 Three to Six Authors:
Proper APA format for sources with three to six authors requires listing the last names of
all authors the first time you cite the source as well as the publication date.
For example:
...results indicated a strong positive correlation between the two variables (Robsen,
Hutchkins, Ru, & Selanis, 1989).
or
Robsen, Hutchkins, Ru, & Selanis (1989) found a strong positive correlation between the
two variables.
Subsequent citations should list only the last name of the first author along with the
publication date.
Robsen (1989) demonstrated the affects of...
or
..in a study demonstrating these effects (Robsen, et al., 1989).
 Seven or More Authors:
Listing the last name of the first author as well as the publication date should cite
with more than seven authors.
For example:
...students demonstrated competence after reading about APA format (Smith et al.,
or
Smith et al., (2005) found that...

 Organizations as Authors:
How do you create an in-text citation in APA format when the author is an
organization or entity? Always include the full name of the organization the
first time you cite the source in-text. The citation should also include the
acronym of the organization if one is available. Subsequent citations can
simply list the acronym and the publication date.
For example:
The American Psychological Association (2000) reported that...
or
...found that students responded positively (American Psychological
Association [APA], 2000).
and subsequent citations
(APA, 2000).
Be sure to check your references and citations using the official Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association.

How to Cite Books in APA Format
The APA citing format you use for books can vary depending
upon the number of authors that are listed.
If a book has just one author, simply provide the author’s last
name followed by the publication date. In cases where then are
more than six authors, the last name and first initial of the first
listed author should be used, followed by "et al.".
For example:
...students demonstrated competence after reading about APA
format (Smith et al., 2005).
or
Smith et al., (2005) found that...

APA Citing for Articles in Journals, Magazines, and Other
Periodicals
When you are citing articles in an academic journal, magazine, newspapers or
other periodicals, you should follow the author-date format. APA citing
should include the author's last name, followed by the date of publication.
For example:
...as Smith and Jones (2005) described...
or
...the study found a statistically significant relationship between the two
variables (Smith & Jones, 2005).
In some instances, a publication might not have a listed author. Include the
short title of the article followed by the date of publication.
For example:
...the findings were contradicted previous research on the subject ("New
Research," 2009).

 Citing Articles with No Author:
In cases where no author is listed, include the short title of the article
by the date of publication.
For example:
...the findings were consistent with previous research ("New Study," 2003).
If you use a direct quotation, your APA citing should always include the page
number where the source can be found. In cases where you are citing an
organization such as the American Psychological Association (APA), spell out
the entire name the first time you cite the source. All further citations should
use the appropriate acronym.
APA Citing for Electronic Sources
The exact format you use for APA citing of electronic media depends on the
type of source that is used. In many cases, the format will be very similar to
that of books or journal articles, but you should also include the URL of the
source and the date it was accessed in the reference section. Learn more in
article on how to cite electronic sources in APA format.

Book References in APA Format
The following examples and guidelines can help you prepare book references in
proper APA format.
 Basic Structure
First, let's start by looking at the standard APA format for writing a book reference. The
basic structure of a book reference in APA format should list the author's last name,
first initials, publication year, book title, location, and publisher.
Your reference should appear as follows:
Author, I. N. (Year). Title of book. Location: Publisher.
For example:
Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
This basic format can be used for many types of book references that have a single
author or multiple authors.
However, you may need to use one of the following formats for books that are edited,
have no author, translated, or requires some specialized formatting.

 Edited Book with One or More Authors
How should you reference a book that is an edited edition with a single or
several editors? Edited books with one or more authors should follow the basic
structure of a book reference and include the initials, last name, and 'Ed.' in
parentheses after the book title.
For example:
Adler, A. (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic
presentation of selections from his writings. H. L. Ansbacher & R. R. Ansbacher
(Eds.). New York: Basic Books.
 Edited Book with No Author:
Edited books with no author should list the last name and first initials of the
editor or editors, followed by 'Ed.' or 'Eds.' in parentheses. The remainder of the
reference should follow the basic structure and include the publication year,
book title in italics, location, and publisher.
For example:
Atkinson, J. W. & Rayner, J. O. (Eds.). (1974). Motivation and
achievement. Washington, DC: V. H. Winston.

 Article Featured in an Edited Book
Sometimes books feature a collection of articles written by different authors in an edited
book. Articles by individual authors that appear in such works should list the last name and
first initial of the author, followed by the publication date, and book title. Next, the editors
should be noted followed by the location and publisher.
For example:
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2005). History of forensic psychology. In I. B. Weiner & A. K.
Hess (Eds.), The Handbook of Forensic Psychology (pp.1-27). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
 Translated Books
Many of psychology's most famous texts were originally written in another language and
then translated into English. Books translated from another language should include the
last name and first initial of the author, followed by the year of publication and book title.
The first initials and last name of the translator and the notation 'Trans.' should then be
included in parentheses. Next provide the location, publisher, and a note of the original
date of publication.
For example:
Freud, S. (1914). The psychopathology of everyday life. (A. A. Brill, Trans.). London: T. Fisher
Unwin. (Original work published 1901).

More Tips for Book References in APA
Format:
 Remember that your reference page needs to be double-spaced.
 The first line of each reference should be flush-left with the margin of the
page. Each subsequent line of your reference should be indented.
 If a digital object identifier (DOI) is available, include it at the end of the
reference.
 If a book has been accessed via an online database, follow the basic APA
format and include the URL at the end.
 Are you still not sure if your reference page is right? Check out
this example of a reference page for more tips

Electronic Sources in APA Format
There are a number of special style concerns for referencing electronic sources in
APA format. Online documents, journal articles, databases and message boards all
have unique referencing requirements. It is important to note the exact Web address
on any online source you use. Always keep track of the electronic resources you
refer to as you are researching a topic and collecting references.
The following examples can help you prepare your electronic references in proper
APA format.
 Online Documents:
The basic structure for referencing online documents is very similar to other
references, but with the addition of a retrieval source. Provide the exact URL for
where the document can be found.
Author, A. A. (2000). Title of work. Retrieved from source
For example:
Cherry, K. (2006). Guide to APA format. About Psychology. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/apastyle/guide

 Online Journal Article:
Online journal articles should be cited much like print articles, but they should include additional
information about the source location. The basic structure is as follows:
Author, A. B., Author, C. D., & Author, E. F. (2000). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Volume
number, page numbers. Retrieved from source
For example:
Jenet, B. L. (2006) A meta-analysis on online social behavior. Journal of Internet Psychology,
4. Retrieved from http://www. journalofinternetpsychology.com/archives/volume4/ 3924.html
 Article Retrieved from a Database:
Articles that are retrieved from online databases are formatted like a print reference. According to
the sixth edition of the APA style manual, it is not necessary to include database information
since these databases tend to change over time.
For example:
Henriques, J. B., & Davidson, R. J. (1991) Left frontal hypoactivation in depression. Journal of
Abnormal Psychology, 100, 535-545.
 Online Newspaper Article:
When citing an online newspaper article, you should provide the URL of the newspaper's home
page. The APA suggests doing this in order to avoid the problem of nonworking URLs.
For example:
Parker-Pope, T. (2011, November 16). Practicing on patients. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com

 Electronic Version of a Print Book:
The APA style manual suggests that you should only include electronic book references if the
book is only available online or is very difficult to find in print. Your reference will be very
similar to a regular print book reference, except the electronic retrieval information takes the
place of the publisher location and name.
For example:
Freud, S. (1922). Totem und Tabu: Einige Übereinstimmungen im Seelenleben der Wilden und
der Neurotiker [Kindle version]. Retrieved from
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37065.kindle.images
 Online Forums, Discussion Lists, or Newsgroups:
Messages posted by users on forums, discussion lists, and newsgroups should follow the basic
structure for citing an online document.
When possible, use the poster's real name starting with the last name and followed by a first
initial. If this is not possible, list the author's online screen name. You should also include the
exact date that the message was posted.
For example:
Leptkin, J. L. (2006, November 16). Study tips for psychology students [Online forum comment].
Retrieved from http://groups.psychelp.com/forums/messages/48382.html

How to Reference Journal Articles in APA Format
 How do you create references for journal articles in APA format? If you need to
write a psychology paper, then you are going to probably need to reference a
number of different journal articles. Such articles summarize the results of studies
and experiments conducted by researchers on an enormous range of topics.
 In most cases, you will probably need to create references for at least five or more
journal articles for every APA format paper you are asked to write.
 APA format details a set of clear rules for referencing articles that appear in
academic journals and other periodicals. Article references will vary somewhat
based on where the article appears and who authored the content. While many
articles you will use in your references probably appear in academic and
professional journals, you might also find articles in magazines, newspapers, and
online publications.
 The reference section is one of the easiest places to lose points due to
incorrect APA format, so always check your references before you hand in
your psychology papers. Learning to reference articles in proper APA style can help
you throughout your study of psychology. Check out the following rules and
guidelines for referencing articles in APA format.

 The Basic Structure When Referencing a Journal Article in APA Format:
Start by listing the authors last name and first initials, followed by the date of publication in parentheses.
Provide the title of the article, but only capitalize the first letter of the title. Next, list the journal or periodical
and volume number in italics. Finally, provide the page numbers where the article can be found.
For example:
Author, I. N. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal or Periodical, volume number, page numbers.
or
Smith, L. V. (2000). Referencing articles in APA format. APA Format Weekly, 34, 4-10.
 Magazine Articles:
The structure for an article appearing in a magazine is similar to that of a journal article. However, the
publication date should also include the month and day of publication.
For example:
James, S. A. (2001, June 7). Magazine articles in APA format. Newsweek, 20, 48-52.
 Newspaper Articles:
References for newspaper articles follow the basic structure, but use the initials p. or pp. to denote page
numbers.
For example:
Tensky, J. A. (2004, January 5). How to cite newspaper articles. The New York Times, pp. 4D, 5D.

 APA Format for Journal Articles With Two Authors
If an article has two authors, follow the basic format for a journal reference. Place a comma
after the first initial of the first author followed by an ampersand (&). Then include the last
name and first initial of the second author.
Example:
Mischel, W., & Baker, N. (1975). Cognitive transformations of reward objects through
instructions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 254-261.
 APA Format for Journal Articles With Three to Seven Authors
For journal articles with three to seven authors, follow a similar format as you would with
two authors, but separate each author and initials with a comma. The final author should be
preceded by an ampersand. Follow this same format for each additional author up to seven
authors.
For example:
Hart, D., Keller, M., Edelstein, W., & Hofmann, V. (1998). Childhood personality influences on
social-cognitive development: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 74, 1288-1289.
and
Keller, J. L., Smithfield, K. B., Ellis, M., Michelina, R., & Bels, S. (1987). The limitations of
anchoring bias. Journal of Market Research, 17, 115-119.

 APA Format for Journal Articles with More Than Seven Authors:
The rules for referencing both single and multiple authors apply to all sources whether the material
came from books, magazine articles, newspaper articles, journal articles, or online sources.
Include the last name and first initials of each author, with each individual separated by a comma.
The last author should be preceded with an ampersand.
If the article includes seven or few authors, list each author separately.
If there are more than seven, include the first six and then include an ellipses (. . . ) in place of the
author names before listing the final author.
For example:
Jones, H., Smith, P., Kingly, R., Plathford, R. H., Florin, S., Breckherst, P., . . . Lightlen, P. S. (2012). How
to reference an article with more than seven authors. APA Format Today, 17, 35-36.
 Articles With No Author
If an article does not cite any authors, then start by giving the title of the article, followed by the
publication date, source, and URL if you accessed the article electronically.
For example:
Scientists seek source of creativity. (2012, March, 6). Dayton County News. Retrieved from
http://www.daytoncountynews.com/news/39756_39275.html

How to Reference an Author or Authors in APA Format
APA format establishes a number of clear rules for how to list reference works using author
information. How you reference different sources varies depending on the number of authors
to whom the source is attributed. For example, the way that you reference a single author will
differ somewhat from how you reference a source with multiple authors.
Before you create a reference section for a psychology paper, it is important to know how to
properly list books, articles, and other sources in APA format.
The following guidelines can help you prepare a reference section for your APA format paper.
 APA Reference for No Author
Articles and other works that do not provide an author attribution should begin with the title of
the work. If the title is a book, list the title first in italics. The volume number and page numbers
should follow article titles, while book titles should be followed by the location and publisher
name.
For example:
A student guide to APA format. (1997). Psychology Weekly, 8, 13-27.
And
The ultimate APA format guidebook. (2006). Hartford, CT: Student Press.

 APA Reference for a Single Author
Works by a single author should list the author's last name and initials. The date of publication should be
enclosed in parentheses and followed by the title of the article or book. Books and journals titles should be
listed in italics. The volume number and page numbers of the article should follow journal titles, while book
titles should be followed by the location and name of the publisher.
For example:
McCrae, R. R. (1993). Moderated analyses of longitudinal personality stability. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 65, 577-585.
and
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
 APA References for Two Authors
Works by two authors should list last names and first initials separated by an ampersand (&).
These names should be followed by the date of publication enclosed in parentheses. If the work is a journal
article, the title of the article should immediately follow the publication date. Next, the title of the book or
journal should be listed in italics. If the reference is a journal article, provide the volume number and page
numbers. For books, list the location and name of the publisher.
For example:
Kanfer, F. H., & Busemeyer, J. R. (1982). The use of problem-solving and decision-making in behavior
therapy. Clinical Psychology Review, 2, 239-266.
and
Buss, A. H., & Pomin, R. (1975). A temperament theory of personality development. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

 Three to Seven Authors
Works by three to seven authors should list last names and first initials of each
author separated by an ampersand. Author names should be followed by the date
of publication enclosed in parentheses.
If the work is a journal article, include the title of the article immediately following
the publication date. The title of the book or journal should then be listed in
italics.
If the reference is a journal article, provide the volume number and page
numbers. For books, list the location and name of the publisher.
For example:
Abma, J. C., Chandra, A., Mosher, W. D., Peterson, L. S., & Piccinino, L. J. (1997).
Fertility, family planning, and women’s health: New data from the 1995 National
Survey of Family Growth. Vital and Health Statistics, 23(9), 1-67.
and
Alper, S., Schloss, P. J., Etscheidt, S. K., & Macfarlane, C. A. (1995). Inclusion: Are we
abandoning or helping students? Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 APA References for More Than Seven Authors Authors
When a work is credited to more than seven authors, the reference is listed by providing
the names of the first six authors followed by . . . and then the final author. The remainder
of the reference follows the same format as that for seven or less authors.
Author last names and initials are followed by the date of publication enclosed in
parentheses. The name of the article is listed immediately after the publication date. The
title of the journal or the book title should be provided in italics. The volume number and
page number should follow journal titles, while book titles should be followed by the
location and publisher name.
For example:
Black, C. P., Arlo, S. T., Rechit, R., Machlen, J. P., Sempson, K., Bee, A. L., . . . Smith, R. K.
(1999). Citing seven or more authors in APA format. Journal of APA Style and Format, 17,
45-75.
and
Black, C. P., Arlo, S. T., Rechit, R., Machlen, J. P., Sempson, K., Bee, A. L., . . . Clark, S. P.
(2001). APA format for psychology students. Newark, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Notes in Tables
There are three types of notes for tables: general, specific, and probability notes. All of them
must be placed below the table in that order.
 General notes explain, qualify or provide information about the table as a whole. Put
explanations of abbreviations, symbols, etc. here.
Example: Note. The racial categories used by the US Census (African- American, Asian
American, Latinos/-as, Native-American, and Pacific Islander) have been collapsed into
category “non-White.” E = excludes respondents who self-identified as “White” and at least
other “non-White” race.
 Specific notes explain, qualify or provide information about a particular column, row, or
individual entry. To indicate specific notes, use superscript lowercase letters (e.g. a, b, c),
order the superscripts from left to right, top to bottom. Each table’s first footnote must be
the superscript a.
Example: n = 823.
One participant in this group was diagnosed with schizophrenia during the survey.
 Probability notes provide the reader with the results of the texts for statistical significance.
Asterisks indicate the values for which the null hypothesis is rejected, with the probability
value) specified in the probability note. Such notes are required only when relevant to the
data in the table. Consistently use the same number of asterisks for a given alpha level
throughout your paper.

 If you need to distinguish between two-tailed and one-tailed
tests in the same table, use asterisks for two-tailed p values
and an alternate symbol (such as daggers) for one-tailed p
values.

Tables
 Data in a table that would require only two or fewer columns and rows should be
presented in the text. More complex data is better presented in tabular format. In
order for quantitative data to be presented clearly and efficiently, it must be
arranged logically, e.g. data to be compared must be presented next to one
(before/after, young/old, male/female, etc.), and statistical information (means,
standard deviations, N values) must be presented in separate parts of the table. If
possible, use canonical forms (such as ANOVA, regression, or correlation) to
communicate your data effectively.

Table Checklist
 Is the table necessary?
 Is the entire table single- or double-spaced (including the title, headings, and
notes)?
 Are all comparable tables presented consistently?
 Is the title brief but explanatory?
 Does every column have a column heading?
 Are all abbreviations; special use of italics, parentheses, and dashes; and special
symbols explained?
 Are all probability level values correctly identified, and are asterisks attached to
the appropriate table entries? Is a probability level assigned the same number of
asterisks in all the tables in the same document?
 Are the notes organized according to the convention of general, specific,
probability?
 Are all vertical rules eliminated?
 If the table or its data are from another source, is the source properly cited?
 Is the table referred to in the text?

Specific Types of Tables
 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Tables. The conventional format for an ANOVA
table is to list the source in the stub column, then the degrees of freedom (df)
the F ratios. Give the between-subject variables and error first, then within-
and any error. Mean square errors must be enclosed in parentheses. Provide a
general note to the table to explain what those values mean (see example). Use
asterisks to identify statistically significant F ratios, and provide a probability
footnote.

 Regression. Conventional reporting of regression analysis follows two formats. If
the study is purely applied, list only the raw or unstandardized coefficients (B). If
the study is purely theoretical, list only the standardized coefficients (beta). If the
study was neither purely applied nor theoretical, then list both standardized and
unstandardized coefficients. Specify the type of analysis, either hierarchical or
simultaneous, and provide the increments of change if you used hierarchical
regression.

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