How to Use Fractions in APA Style

Research papers in fields that conform to the standards of the American Psychological Association often contain many statistics and other numbers. You need a good grasp of APA style to understand when to report fractions as numerals and when to spell them out as words. The "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" also provides instructions for reporting decimal fractions.

Instructions

    • 1

      Use numerals with a diagonal line for fractional quantities such as "11/16 inch" or "5/8 acre." Also use this format to report any precise unit of measurement, such as "2/3-cup measure."

    • 2

      Write out common fractions that do not denote a quantity; for example, "one half of the page" or "a decrease of three fifths." Do not hyphenate the fraction except when it is a compound adjective, as in "two-thirds majority."

    • 3

      Include a zero before the decimal point for a decimal fraction less than one, such as 0.56. Omit the zero if you report a statistic that cannot be greater than one, such as a proportion or statistical significance; for example, use "p = .04" instead of "p = 0.04."

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved