APA Statistics Formatter
Type the numbers from your output and get them back formatted the APA 7 way: italic symbols, no zero before the decimal point on p and r, exact p to three decimals, p < .001 below that, and confidence intervals in brackets. Copy the result with its italics straight into Word or Google Docs. Runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded. Free, no sign-up.
Your APA 7 result
t(28) = 2.45, p = .021, d = 0.90, 95% CI [0.12, 1.67]
Symbols are italic where APA 7 requires it; paste with formatting into Word or Google Docs to keep the italics. Numbers use a decimal point, as English-language APA papers do.
Rules applied
- Italic for letters used as statistical symbols (t, F, p, r, M, SD, N, d, R); upright for Greek letters (χ², η², β) and abbreviations such as OR and CI.
- No zero before the decimal point for statistics that cannot exceed 1 (p, r, R², η², V); a zero for those that can (t, F, χ², z, d, M, SD, b, OR).
- Two decimals for inferential statistics, correlations and effect sizes; exact p to two or three decimals, and p < .001 below that.
- A space before and after = and <; no comma in degrees of freedom; confidence intervals as 95% CI [lower, upper].
Source: APA Style, Numbers and Statistics Guide (7th ed.), citing Publication Manual sections 6.36 and 6.40–6.45.
How to Use the APA Statistics Formatter
- 1. Choose what you are reporting. A t test, F test, chi-square, correlation, z test, mean and standard deviation, regression model or coefficient, or odds ratio.
- 2. Enter the numbers. Copy them from your software with as many decimals as it gives; the formatter does the rounding. Optional fields — effect sizes and a confidence interval — can stay blank.
- 3. Check the options. Exact p to three decimals (the default) or two, and one or two decimals for means and standard deviations.
- 4. Copy the result. "Copy with formatting" keeps the italics when you paste into Word or Google Docs; "Copy plain text" gives the same string without them.
The APA 7 Rules for Statistics
The rules below come from APA's own Numbers and Statistics Guide, which points to Publication Manual (7th ed.) sections 6.36 (decimal places), 6.40–6.45 (reporting statistics) and Table 6.5 (statistical symbols).
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Italic letters for statistical symbols; upright Greek letters and abbreviations | t(28) = 2.45, χ²(2) = 6.35, OR = 2.02 |
| No leading zero when the statistic cannot exceed 1: p, r, R², η², V | p = .021, r = .48, R² = .12 |
| A leading zero when it can: t, F, χ², z, d, M, SD, b, OR | d = 0.90, M = 7.70 |
| Two decimals for inferential statistics, correlations and effect sizes | F(2, 57) = 4.21 |
| Exact p to two or three decimals; p < .001 below that | p = .006, p = .03, p < .001 |
| A space around = and <; a minus sign directly against its number | t(17) = −5.20 |
| No comma in degrees of freedom; commas in other figures of 1,000 or more | F(2, 1234), N = 1,200 |
| Confidence intervals in brackets, limits separated by a comma | 95% CI [0.12, 1.67] |
APA's guide adds that these are general guidelines: round as much as you can while keeping the precision readers need, and do not repeat the same statistics in the text and in a table or figure. In tables and figures it asks for exact p values as well, except "< .001".
Worked Example: An Independent t Test
Software reports t = 2.4531 on 28 degrees of freedom, p = 0.02059, Cohen's d = 0.8957 and a 95% interval of 0.1215 to 1.6704. The formatter returns t(28) = 2.45, p = .021, d = 0.90, 95% CI [0.12, 1.67]. The p value has lost its zero and been rounded to three decimals, d keeps its zero because it can exceed 1, and the interval is bracketed.
Mistakes this prevents
- p = 0.021. p cannot exceed 1, so it takes no leading zero: p = .021.
- p = .000. A probability is never exactly zero; write p < .001.
- Upright p, t or F. Statistical symbols that are Latin letters are italic.
- Italic χ² or β. Greek letters stay upright.
- Rounding that hides the answer. Reporting p = .05 when the software said .0497 hides which side of .05 it fell on; exact p values avoid that.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you report a p value in APA 7?
- Italicise the p, put spaces around the operator, drop the leading zero and give the exact value to two or three decimals: p = .032. Write p < .001 for anything smaller than .001. APA's guide gives p = .006 and p = .03 as examples of exact values.
- When do I use a leading zero in APA?
- Use a zero before the decimal point when the statistic can exceed 1 (t, F, d, M, SD, b, OR), and leave it out when the statistic cannot (p values, correlations, proportions, R², η²). So r = .48 but d = 0.48.
- How do I report a t test in APA 7?
- Give t, the degrees of freedom in parentheses, the value to two decimals and the exact p: t(28) = 2.45, p = .021. Add an effect size and a confidence interval when you have them: d = 0.90, 95% CI [0.12, 1.67]. Welch tests keep their fractional df to two decimals.
- How do I report an ANOVA or chi-square in APA?
- For an ANOVA, F with both degrees of freedom, as in F(2, 57) = 4.21, p = .020, followed by an effect size such as ηp² = .13. For chi-square, the symbol χ² is upright, and the sample size goes in the parentheses with the degrees of freedom: χ²(2, N = 120) = 6.35, p = .042.
- Which statistical symbols are italicised?
- Letters used as statistical symbols — t, F, p, r, z, M, SD, N, n, d, R — are italic. Greek letters (χ², η², β, α) and abbreviations such as OR and CI are upright. Symbols for statistics are used with numbers; in running text, write the word ("the means were").
- How do I format a confidence interval in APA?
- Put the confidence level, then the lower and upper limits in square brackets separated by a comma: 95% CI [0.12, 1.67]. Use the same number of decimals as the estimate, and keep the level the same throughout a paper unless there is a reason to change it.