How to Report t-test & ANOVA Results in APA
Report each group's M and SD, the test statistic (t or F with degrees of freedom and exact p), and always an effect size (Cohen's d for t-tests; η² or ω² for ANOVA) — with corrected post-hoc tests when an ANOVA is significant.
What to report
For an independent-samples t-test:
- The M and SD for each group, and N.
- t, the degrees of freedom, and exact p.
- An effect size: Cohen's d (or Hedges' g), ideally with a confidence interval.
- The assumption check for equal variances (Levene's test); use Welch's t if variances differ.
For a one-way ANOVA:
- The M and SD per group.
- F(df_between, df_within), exact p.
- An effect size: η², partial η², or ω² (ω² is less biased).
- Post-hoc comparisons with a correction (e.g., Tukey or Bonferroni) when the omnibus test is significant.
- Assumption checks: normality and homogeneity of variance.
APA template
[Group A] (M = [X.XX], SD = [X.XX]) scored higher than [Group B] (M = [X.XX], SD = [X.XX]) on [outcome], t([df]) = [X.XX], p = [.XXX], d = [X.XX], 95% CI [[X.XX], [X.XX]]. [For ANOVA:] A one-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of [factor] on [outcome], F([df1], [df2]) = [XX.XX], p < .001, η² = [.XX]. Tukey-corrected post-hoc comparisons indicated that [Group A] differed from [Group C] (p = [.XXX]) but not from [Group B] (p = [.XXX]).
Report exact p (or p < .001); drop the leading zero for p and η², but keep it for t, F, M and SD, which can exceed 1.
Common mistakes
- Reporting t or F and p but no effect size — d or η²/ω² is required.
- Running multiple t-tests instead of an ANOVA, inflating the false-positive rate.
- Reporting a significant ANOVA without corrected post-hoc tests to say which groups differ.
- Ignoring unequal variances; use Welch's correction when Levene's test is significant.
- Forgetting the group means and SDs that readers need to interpret the test.
Draft it with your own numbers
In Explonia, the “Article description” turns your own group means, test statistics and effect sizes into a first-draft APA paragraph. You edit it and keep it; you stay the author. Results export to SPSS/.sav, R and AMOS, with an APA report (.docx).
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to report an effect size?
Yes. APA expects an effect size alongside the significance test: Cohen's d (or Hedges' g) for a t-test, and eta-squared, partial eta-squared, or omega-squared for ANOVA. The p-value tells you whether an effect is detectable; the effect size tells you how large it is.
How do I report post-hoc tests after a significant ANOVA?
Run pairwise comparisons with a correction for multiple testing (such as Tukey's HSD or Bonferroni) and report which groups differ, with the corrected p-values. A significant omnibus F only tells you that at least one group differs, not which ones.
What if my groups have unequal variances?
Check homogeneity of variance with Levene's test. If it is violated, use Welch's t-test (for two groups) or Welch's ANOVA rather than the standard versions, and state that you did so. These corrections do not assume equal variances.
How to cite this page
If this page helped your research, you can cite it (APA 7):
Szymkowiak, A. (2026). How to Report t-test & ANOVA Results in APA. Explonia. https://explonia.com/how-to-report/t-test-anova-results-apa/
Last updated: July 2026
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