🖋️ 3. APA Reporting for Pearson’s r

APA style (American Psychological Association) provides a standard format for writing research results, including correlation results like Pearson’s r.

APA reporting ensures your findings are:

✅ Clear
✅ Professional
✅ Easily interpreted by readers

🔢 Basic APA Format for r

There was a [strength, direction] correlation between Variable 1 and Variable 2,
r(df) = r-value, p = p-value.

🧪 Example:

There was a strong positive correlation between study time and exam scores,
r(78) = .67, p < .001.

🧱 APA Template Breakdown

📌 Degrees of freedom (df) for Pearson's r:

df = N – 2
→ If N = 80, then df = 78.

💡 Reporting Interpretation Tips

When writing, include:

✅ The direction: positive or negative
✅ The strength: weak, moderate, strong (use Cohen’s guide)
✅ The significance: Is p < .05?
✅ The context: What do the variables mean?

🧪 Example 1 (Significant result):

There was a moderate negative correlation between stress and sleep quality,
r(98) = –.42, p = .002.

🧪 Example 2 (Non-significant result):

The correlation between hours watching TV and GPA was not significant,
r(55) = –.08, p = .54.

🎨 Visual Guide

📦 Summary Box

✅ Checklist Before You Submit:

• Have you reported r, df, and p?

• Did you describe the relationship (positive/negative)?

• Did you interpret the strength based on Cohen’s guidelines?

• Did you explain what the results mean in plain English?