Background | Enter Data | Analyze Data | Interpret Data | Report Data
Three things
It’s a good idea to report three main things in an APA style results section when it comes to z-scores. Doing so will help your reader more fully understand your results.
1. Test type and use
You want to tell your reader what type of analysis you conducted. You also want to tell your reader why this particular analysis was used. What did your analysis tests for?
Example
You can report data from your own experiments by using the template below.
“Z-scores were computed for raw scores in the ________ data set.”
If we were reporting data for our example, we might write sentence like this.
“Z-scores were computed for raw scores in the grades data set.”
2. The Values
It is most likely that you will want to tell your readers the values for a particular raw score and its’ corresponding z-score. You can report data from your own experiments by using the template below.
“For the raw score ______, z = _____.”
Just fill in the blanks by using the SPSS output
Fill in the raw score and corresponding z-score.
Once the blanks are full…
You have a sentence that looks very scientific but was actually very simple to produce.
“For the raw score 98%, z = 1.24.”
3. Report your results in words that people can understand
It’s a good idea to report you results in an easy to understand language, after you have stated them scientifically. Imagine that you were trying to explain these results to a family member or friend who does not know much about science.
Example
You might write something like this for our example.
“This z-score tells us that my exam score was above the class average.”
All together now
When you put the three main components together, results look something like this.
“Z-scores were computed for raw scores in the grades data set. For the raw score 98%, z = 1.24. This z-score tells us that my exam score was above the class average.”
Background | Enter Data | Analyze Data | Interpret Data | Report Data