AP STATISTICS PROJECT
WRITTEN REPORT
Your written report should be typed. Everything in the paper should be double-spaced. The font should
be Times New Roman (12 point), and the margins should be 1 inch all around.
Title Page
The Title Page is the first page of your report. The title of your experiment/study should be concise and
specific (usually not more than 15-17 words). It should be centered on the page, and all major words
should be capitalized. A good title clearly indicates what your report is about and avoids relying on
phrases such as “An experiment on”, “A study of”, or “The effect of.” Look at the current best-selling
non-fiction books for ideas on how to write one. Centered directly under the title should appear your
name(s) and under it your institution (Ithaca High School).
Introduction
The next page of your report begins the introduction. The introduction does not require a heading;
however, the title of the paper should be typed, centered at the top of the page.
In the introduction, you are explaining the purpose and relevance of your experiment/study. Move
from the general to the specific: a general discussion of the problem area should lead to your specific
research question. Your introduction should include the following:
 Any background theory or previous research the reader needs to know.
 The purpose of your experiment/study stated clearly and concisely.
 A connection of the research topic to reality – Why should we care?
Method
The method section follows immediately after the introduction, and the main heading for this section
(“Method”) should be centered.
This section must be very detailed and clear. It tells the reader that someone else can repeat the
experiment just by reading your method section. Your method section should include the three
subsections listed below. The heading for each subsection should be italicized and left-justified.
 Initial Design: Describe how you selected your sample or participants, the sampling frame you
used and your population of interest, the sample size, any use of randomization, any relevant
demographic data, etc. If you are conducting an experiment, include the design diagram here.
 Materials: A description of any special equipment or materials used that are unique to your
project, OTHER THAN the usual pencils, paper, and calculator (please don’t include those
items; I don’t care). For materials such as questionnaires or tests, be sure to describe them in
this section and also include a copy in your appendix.
 Procedure/Rationale: A detailed description of the events you went through from the beginning
until the end of the experiment/study. Explain how your initial design had to change over the
course of the project, if it did. Also include a justification/rationale for using the sampling
frame you did, the sampling method you did, the blocking you employed, etc.
Results
The results section follows immediately after the method section, and the heading for this section
(“Results”) should be centered.
This section includes a summary of the data. Be sure to include appropriate verbal summaries,
numerical summaries, and visual summaries.
Note: Do not include your graphs or tables here; put them into the appropriate appendix. When you
refer to any tables or figures in the text of the results section, refer to them by number in the
Appendix, e.g., “see Table 1” or “as shown in Figure 1.”
Discussion
The discussion section follows immediately after the results section, and the heading (“Discussion”)
should be centered.
In this section, you state your conclusions based on your results presented in the previous section. Be
sure to include the following:
 Open the discussion section with a conclusion about your original research question with direct
references to your results.
 If applicable, relate the results to previous research findings.
 Discuss implications of the findings and any potential directions for future research.
 Discuss any weaknesses in the design or procedures and how this may have affected your
results
 Discuss any problems your group encountered in the execution of your project and what you
did to deal them and
 Provide suggestions for improving your methodology next time.
Appendix
Each appendix appears on its own page. The heading should identify the appendix with a capital letter
(e.g. “Appendix A”) and should be centered. In the text, refer to appendices by their letters (e.g. “see
Appendix B”).
Include the following appendices:
 Appendix A: Examples of Materials – Include examples of any important materials used unique
to your project, such as questionnaires or tests. Pictures of your actual materials are great, but
do not include pictures of silly things like your calculator or pencils.
 Appendix B: Tables – Include a table or tables containing all the data you gathered. Also
include any other relevant tables. Number all tables with Arabic numerals (e.g. “Table 1”) in
the order in which they are mentioned in the text.
 Appendix C: Figures – Include one or more graphical displays of your data. Use a boxplot,
stemplot, scatterplot, histogram, bar chart, and/or pie chart. Number all graphs with Arabic
numerals (e.g. “Figure 1”) in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. Hand-drawn
displays of data will lose credit. You must create your displays with technology (Statcato
or Excel). Special Note: Make sure your graphs are easily readable – if they are in color,
print them in color or otherwise label them very clearly.