Structural Equation Modeling – Reporting an SEM with Path Analysis from lavaan: Detailed Guide

reportingstructural-equation-modeling

I have been using the lavaan package to run my SEM (Path analysis) with two mediations (A -> M1 -> Y; B -> M2 -> Y). I have been looking for good examples for reporting the results of my SEM, however all I have been able to find is an article with an overview of reporting pratices (Jackson, D. L., Gillaspy, J. A., & Purc-Stephenson, R. (2009). Reporting practices in confirmatory factor analysis: An overview and some recommendations. Psychological Methods, 14(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014694). So far, I have reported a summary of the fit indices. Can someone recommend a good article on how to report a structural equation model with two mediations?

Best Answer

Welcome flxflks!

My suspicion is that you will be best served by "blending" the recommendations for reporting on indirect effects and SEMs. A few resources you might consider include:

  1. Hayes's book (new edition in 2022) has a section on writing about tests of indirect effects, more generally (see Chapter 14 in both previous and forthcoming edition)

  2. Kline's SEM book (2015) has a chapter (18) with content on suggested practices for tabling and interpretation of SEMs, more generally

  3. The American Psychological Association has provided "Journal Article Reporting Standards for Quantitative Research in Psychology", by Appelbaum et al. (2018) that provide some good general, and more specific recommendations. Of particular interest to you, perhaps, they provide very specific recommendations for reprint on SEMs, which you can find here.

References

Appelbaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E., Nezu, A. M., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 3-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000191

Hayes, A. (2022). Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Kline, R. (2015). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (4th Ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

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