How to report a t test in APA 7
An APA-style t-test result reports the test statistic with its degrees of freedom in parentheses, followed by the exact p value, an effect size, and—when available—a confidence interval. Italicize the Latin statistical symbols t, p, d, M, and SD. The confidence-interval label itself is not italicized. Because t, Cohen's d, means, standard deviations, and unstandardized confidence limits can exceed 1, they retain a leading zero. The p value does not: write p = .032, not p = 0.032.
Report exact p values to three decimal places unless the value is below .001. In that case, write p < .001; never write p = .000. A common mistake is omitting df, even though it is essential for interpreting the statistic. Another is mixing one-tailed and two-tailed values. This formatter defaults to a two-tailed recomputation and offers a one-tailed toggle so the consistency note fits the hypothesis you actually tested.
Worked example
Two independent groups had means of 24.60 and 21.80, with standard deviations of 4.10 and 3.70. The test returned t = 2.78 with 58 degrees of freedom, p = .007, Cohen's d = 0.72, and a 95% CI for d from 0.19 to 1.24.
Group 1 (M = 24.60, SD = 4.10) and Group 2 (M = 21.80, SD = 3.70) differed, t(58) = 2.78, p = .007, d = 0.72, 95% CI [0.19, 1.24].
Common questions
Does the p value get a leading zero in APA 7?
No. Probabilities cannot exceed 1, so write p = .032, not p = 0.032. Values that can exceed 1, such as t, Cohen's d, means and standard deviations, keep the leading zero.
What do I write when my software shows p = .000?
Write p < .001 and never p = .000. Otherwise report exact p values to three decimal places.
Which symbols are italicized?
The Latin statistical symbols t, p, d, M and SD are italicized. The confidence-interval label itself is not.
Should I report a one-tailed or two-tailed p value?
Report the one you actually tested. This formatter recomputes a two-tailed value by default and has a one-tailed toggle so its consistency note matches your hypothesis. Mixing one-tailed and two-tailed values is a common mistake.
What is the most common mistake?
Leaving out the degrees of freedom, which readers need in order to interpret the statistic.