ABSTRACT
Even scholars who entered the social sciences with the knowledge that they would have to become astute in the use of statistics have had to wrestle with the issue of how to present the results of their research. After struggling to learn statistical programs, such as SAS, SPSS, or Minitab (among others), and finally receiving the prized, newly analyzed data, many researchers must now confront the puzzling task of how to write up the results of their hard work. Even after scholars interpret the results of a statistical analysis, they must still make these results comprehensible to others. These others may include reviewers for journals or academic conferences, colleagues who are interested in the researcher’s work, or (if these scholars are also students) their professors. Those who are interested in the statistical results of research need certain pieces of information so that they can obtain a clear picture of the data that have been collected. A well-written results section also will give readers clear answers to the hypotheses or research questions that were advanced prior to the collection of the data.
