How to report reliability in APA 7
Internal-consistency reliability is often reported with Cronbach's alpha or McDonald's omega. Name the coefficient and provide its value: Cronbach's α = .87 or McDonald's ω = .88. Alpha and omega are Greek letters and are not italicized. Their values are bounded and therefore omit the leading zero. Two decimal places are a common narrative default, but use additional precision if it is substantively important or customary in your field.
Do not label alpha as a measure of validity or treat a high value as proof that a scale is unidimensional. Reliability belongs to scores in a particular sample, not permanently to an instrument. When useful, report the number of items and explain how the items were scored. Common presentation errors include italicizing the Greek symbol, writing a leading zero, omitting the coefficient name, or mixing alpha and omega terminology. If items were deleted, reverse-scored, or analyzed in subscales, describe those decisions in the surrounding methods or results text. This formatter can append the item count, but a complete report may also discuss confidence intervals or reliability by subgroup when those details matter.
Worked example
A 12-item questionnaire produced a Cronbach's alpha of .87 in the analyzed sample.
Cronbach's α = .87 for the 12-item scale.
Common questions
Are alpha and omega italicized?
No. They are Greek letters and are not italicized. Their values are bounded, so omit the leading zero.
How many decimals should I report?
Two decimal places is a common default. Use more if it is substantively important or customary in your field.
What else should I report with a reliability coefficient?
When useful, the number of items and how they were scored. If items were deleted, reverse-scored or analyzed in subscales, describe that in the methods or results text.
Does a high alpha show the scale is valid?
No. Do not treat alpha as a measure of validity or a high value as proof that a scale is unidimensional. Reliability belongs to scores in a particular sample, not permanently to an instrument.
What are the common presentation errors?
Italicizing the Greek symbol, writing a leading zero, omitting the coefficient name, or mixing alpha and omega terminology.