How to report a linear regression in APA 7
What must appear when you report a multiple regression, what the table looks like, and a full example you can adapt to your data.
Part of the series: Statistical Analysis for a Seminar Paper or Thesis: The Complete Guide
Reporting a regression has two parts: the model as a whole (how much it explains and whether it's significant) and each predictor on its own (its unique contribution).
What to take from the SPSS output
- From the Model Summary table: R² and Adjusted R Square.
- From the ANOVA table: F, the degrees of freedom (Regression and Residual) and the significance.
- From the Coefficients table: for each predictor, B, the standard error (Std. Error), β, t and the significance. It's worth also requesting 95% confidence intervals for B, under Statistics → Confidence intervals.
Reporting the model
The regression model was significant and explained 24% of the variance in burnout, R² = .24, F(3, 146) = 15.37, p < .001.
The degrees of freedom of F are the number of predictors (here 3) and N minus the number of predictors minus 1 (here 150 − 3 − 1 = 146).
Reporting a single predictor
Workload significantly and positively predicted burnout, β = .32, t(146) = 4.12, p < .001, such that higher workload was associated with higher burnout.
The degrees of freedom of t are the same as the residual degrees of freedom of the model.
The table
With more than two or three predictors, present a table and refer to it in the text. An APA 7 table:
| Predictor | B | SE | β | t | p | 95% CI for B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workload | 0.41 | 0.10 | .32 | 4.12 | < .001 | [0.21, 0.61] |
| Social support | −0.28 | 0.09 | −.24 | −3.07 | .003 | [−0.46, −0.10] |
| Seniority | 0.02 | 0.03 | .05 | 0.66 | .510 | [−0.04, 0.08] |
- The table number in bold on one line, and the title in italics on the line below.
- No vertical lines. Horizontal lines only above and below the column headings and at the end of the table.
- A note below the table if abbreviations need explaining.
Writing rules that apply to every report
- Statistical symbols in italics: B, β, t, F, p, R².
- A zero before the decimal point only for values that can exceed 1. So B = 0.41, but β = .32 and p = .003.
- Two decimal places for most values, three for p.
- Before reporting, check the model's assumptions: linearity, normality of residuals, equal variance and multicollinearity (VIF). If any of them doesn't hold, say so.
Next steps
For correlation vs regression and running it in SPSS: correlation or regression?. A dichotomous outcome? Logistic regression. With a mediator or moderator: PROCESS. And formatting the table and placing it in the chapter: APA tables and figures and how to write a results chapter.
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