Q-Results

This skill guides drafting of results sections for academic manuscripts in a clear, narrative style following APA 7th edition formatting standards.

Core Principles

1. Write in flowing paragraphs that narrate findings coherently
2. Organize by research questions or analytical stages, not by statistical test
3. Integrate tables to support (not replace) the narrative
4. Balance comprehensiveness with readability; use appendices for detailed tables
5. Report findings objectively without interpretation (save for discussion)
6. Follow APA 7th edition formatting for tables, numbers, and statistical notation

Standard Structure

Opening Overview

Brief paragraph summarizing what analyses were conducted and what the results section covers.

Results by Research Question

For each major finding area: state what was analyzed, present key findings with statistics, reference supporting tables, and transition logically.

Summary Paragraph

Brief synthesis of key findings without interpretation.

Writing Style Guidelines

• No em-dashes; use hyphens for compound modifiers only
• No unnecessary bold or italic in running text
• Write in complete paragraphs, avoid bullet points
• Spell out numbers below 10 unless measurements, statistics, or percentages
• Use italics for statistical symbols: M, SD, n, N, p, F, t, r

Appendix Strategy

Move to appendices: complete codebooks, detailed breakdowns, technical validation details, full cross-tabulations. Reference in main text: “The complete codebook is provided in Appendix C.”

Reference Files

For detailed guidance:

• See references/results_template.md for complete section template
• See ../references/table_formatting.md for APA 7th table examples (shared)
• See ../references/apa_style_guide.md for numbers, statistics, and notation (shared)