Results

The Results section is where you summarize the data you collected and present the main findings (even those that are counter to your hypotheses). You should also explain what analyses were used (e.g., one-way ANOVA, t-test). The results section should be organized in some fashion. It should represent the way you have conceptualized your project. A common way to report results is to

1. Restate your hypothesis for the reader.
   
2. Summarize the results for each of the statistical tests you completed for that hypothesis.
   
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each subsequent hypothesis.

When reporting the findings of an inferential test, you need to follow a certain format. This format includes stating the one-letter abbreviation of the type of test, the degrees of freedom, the value of the test, and the probability that the score is due to random chance. An example of this would be F (1, 149) = 107.31, p<.001. Any p-value less than or equal to .05 is considered significant and you should be sure to point out to your reader that there was an effect. P-values greater than .05 are not significant and are considered uninterpretable.

Do not mention individual scores except as an example; instead report means and standard deviations. If you need to present your findings using figures or tables, see our sections on figures and tables for more help. It is not appropriate to discuss in this section what you think these findings mean. Save that for the discussion section.

See the sample experimental report for an example of a Results section.