#Table of contexts manual

Table Spanners cover the entire width of the table, allowing for more divisions or combining tables with identical column headings.Column spanners are often stacked on top of column headings and together are called decked heads. Column spanners are headings that describe entries below them, applying to two or more columns which each have their own column heading.Column headings describe entries below them, applying to just one column.Stub headings describe the lefthand column, or stub column, which usually lists major independent variables.Use of standard abbreviations can aid in achieving that goal. The heading should not be much wider than the widest entry in the column. If possible, use canonical forms (such as ANOVA, regression, or correlation) to communicate your data effectively.Ĭomparison of Median Income of Adopted Children (AC) v. data to be compared must be presented next to one another (before/after, young/old, male/female, etc.), and statistical information (means, standard deviations, N values) must be presented in separate parts of the table. In order for quantitative data to be presented clearly and efficiently, it must be arranged logically, e.g. More complex data is better presented in tabular format. Tablesĭata in a table that would require only two or fewer columns and rows should be presented in the text. Do not repeat the same data in different tables.

Likewise, formats, titles, and headings must be consistent. Abbreviations, terminology, and probability level values must be consistent across tables and figures in the same article. Number all tables sequentially as you refer to them in the text (Table 1, Table 2, etc.), likewise for figures (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Integrity and IndependenceĮach table and figure must be intelligible without reference to the text, so be sure to include an explanation of every abbreviation (except the standard statistical symbols and abbreviations). If you are using figures, tables and/or data from other sources, be sure to gather all the information you will need to properly document your sources. Focus only on the important point the reader should draw from them, and leave the details for the reader to examine on their own. Relation of Tables or Figures and Textīecause tables and figures supplement the text, refer in the text to all tables and figures used and explain what the reader should look for when using the table or figure. Ask yourself this question first: Is the table or figure necessary? For example, it is better to present simple descriptive statistics in the text, not in a table. Visual material such as tables and figures can be used quickly and efficiently to present a large amount of information to an audience, but visuals must be used to assist communication, not to use up space, or disguise marginally significant results behind a screen of complicated statistics. Tables are any graphic that uses a row and column structure to organize information, whereas figures include any illustration or image other than a table. The purpose of tables and figures in documents is to enhance your readers' understanding of the information in the document usually, large amounts of information can be communicated more efficiently in tables or figures. The equivalent resources for the older APA 6 style can be found at this page as well as at this page (our old resources covered the material on this page on two separate pages).

#Table of contexts manual

Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019.