Results or Proposed Analyses

Proposed Analyses Assignment
1. This is not a results section (unless that’s easier for you).
2. It is like the formulation section of your Formulation and Examination Sections, tailored around your specific hypotheses laid out in your intro.

Results Pragmatics
1 . Results sections need an overview paragraph, laying out what the analyses done and what hypotheses they were done to test. The hypotheses should also be stated in words. Don’t expect your reader to refer back to your intro to know what hypothesis 1 was.
2. Remember to cite statistics to appropriate decimal places.
A. Probability levels should be reported in the following manner:
1. Nonsignificant findings (i.e., p > .05) to two decimal points--.06, .14, etc.
2. Significant findings (i.e., p < .05) to first nonzero decimal place, using appropriate rounding strategies--.00029 = .0003, .043 = .04, .000 = .001, etc.--or as < .05 or < .01.
3. All findings. If you are reporting actual significance levels taken from the printout (.09, .003, etc.), use p =, not p <.
B. Correlations, regression coefficients, β, t-tests, etc. to two decimals, again following appropriate rounding procedures--r(68) = .219 = .22, R2 = .203 = .20, β = .230 = .23, t(68) = 2.146 = 2.15
C. For your Method section, the same will hold true for reporting α--.799 = .80.
3. Move from more general to more specific--in other words, report overall multiple regression statistics (e.g., R, R2, F, p) before moving onto individual relationships (e.g., β, B, and their p).
4. Don’t confuse level of significance with magnitude of effect. Either something is significant or it is not--you do not want to grade significance. Do NOT use terms like "moderate significance" or “great significance.” If the relationship was not as strong as suggested by previous research or as you expected, say that, NOT that it wasn’t as significant as you expected. The probability level depends on BOTH the magnitude of effect and the N--with 500,000 participants, trivially tiny correlations would be significant.
A. On a related point, the N alone of your study is not necessarily a weakness. The necessary N for a study is a function of effect size and pragmatics. More participants may be better, but they aren’t always necessary.
B. Also, N does not equal representativeness.
5. ONLY use “our” to refer to authorS in a multiply authored paper. If you must use first person (which you should generally avoid), you must use singular first person (my, I, mine).
6. Watch your reference cites. If you cited a 3+ author study in the introduction or method sections, you should be using et al. for that study in the latter sections. By the way, it is et al.--not et. al or et al or et. al. or etal or et.al.
7. When you give the results, you should also explain them in words. What does a correlation of .30 mean?
8. Means and standard deviations should be reported as (M = 0.79, SD = 1.63). Also, when you report a mean, you should also report a standard deviation!
9 . Tables come after references.
10. Use the same level of heading for Results that you did for Method.
11. Having many correlations is not a multiple correlation.
12. If you must abbreviate in a table, you must also have a table note defining your abbreviations. Also, provide, via subscripts or a separate column, p values for statistics in tables.
13. All tables must be in APA style. Watch lines, double space throughout, watch indenting/spacing/alignment of decimals, etc.
14. When you report a multiple regression, you must report all of the variables included in it, not just the ones with significant βs.

HSRC Q&A Sessions

Please be reminded that the HSRC Q&A sessions and snack are scheduled for the coming Monday, May 12 and Tuesday, May 13 - between 9am and 12pm. If you plan on submitting a research project for review or simply have questions/concerns about the HSRC procedures, we are offering you this opportunity to come and talk to us one-on-one. The sessions will be in the SOP Student Lounge and we will have lots of treats for you.

If you would have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me directly at (626) 584-5544.

Thank you.

Marta Cenac-Mehedinti

Research Manager, Travis Research Institute

Writing Workshops

The Writing Center will be holding two writing workshops this quarter, which may be of interest to students who have difficulties with academic writing. Please feel free to encourage any or all students to attend. The schedule is as follows:

May 9: COMPOSITION WORKSHOP
Learn how to articulate your thesis, develop your arguments, and use evidence to support your ideas.

May 16: NEW ADVANCED COMPOSITION WORKSHOP
Move your writing from B+ to A quality by mastering the nuances of writing.

Both workshops will be held in Payton 102 from 1-3 pm. They are free to attend, and workshop packets will be available for $5 each.

If you have any questions, please email the Writing Center at cal-writing@fuller.edu