Writing an APA-Style Research Report

Method

Method Section

• Start on the first line following the last line of the introductory section – no hard page break.

• Type “Method” on the first line. Center it.• Describe in detail how you gathered the

data.• Usually will be subheadings.

Start of Method Section

MethodParticipants

Participants were 324 college students (160 female, 164 male) who were enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes at a southern, public university whose student body consists mostly of white students. The mean age of participants was 19.5 (SD = 2.88).

Participants or Subjects or Research Units

• Identify the units you studied and how you sampled them.

• Report demographic characteristics of your participants, such as sex, age, and ethnic identity.

• Describe the a priori power analysis that you employed to decide how many subjects to include in your study.

Design

• Identify the variables which you manipulated or measured.

• Experimental research: Which were manipulated? Between- or Within-Subjects?

• Nonexperimental research: Criterion and predictor variables.

• Any covariates or matching variables?• Criterion of statistical significance.

Research Materials or Apparatus

• Describe instruments and other materials used to manipulate treatments and measure variables.

• Psychometric characteristics of standardized tests employed in the research (from the literature).

Procedure

• Provide enough detail for somebody else to be able to replicate your research.

• How were the groups formed?• What instructions were given participants?• How did you manipulate independent

variables?• How did you measure nonmanipulated

variables?