The Trouble with Tabsīelow is an unfortunate way people commonly arrange class schedules: Week-by-week course schedules, grading schemes, assignment rubrics, the number of vehicle crashes of different types broken down by state… These would probably best be displayed in tables. For a complex table, though, an HTML version will be much more accessible than a table in Word. It does not matter if the page header also moves when switching to landscape orientation.If you have data that needs rows and columns like on spreadsheets, use tables, not tabs. If a table is too wide to fit on one page, use landscape orientation on the page with the wide table. If a table is longer than one page, use the tables feature of your word-processing program to make the headings row repeat on the second and any subsequent pages. Use spacing between columns and rows and strict alignment to clarify relations among the elements in a table. You may also use a border to separate a row containing totals or other summary information from other rows in the table.ĭo not use vertical borders to separate data, and do not use borders around every cell in a table. In general, use a border at the top and bottom of the table, beneath column headings (including decked heads), and above column spanners. Limit the use of borders or lines in a table to those needed for clarity. Do not use the tab key or space bar to manually create the look of a table. Use the tables feature of your word-processing program to create tables in APA Style papers. Use the same font in tables as in the rest of your paper. In general, place different indices (e.g., means and standard deviations) in different columns rather than in the same column. When creating a table, place entries that are to be compared next to each other. Provide sufficient information in the table itself so that readers do not need to read the text to understand it. The most important principle to follow when creating a table is to present information in a way that is easy for readers to understand. This diagram is an illustration of the basic table components.
headings: Tables may include a variety of headings depending on the nature and arrangement of the data.Give each table a brief but descriptive title, and capitalize the table title in italic title case.
title: The table title appears one double-spaced line below the table number.Number tables in the order in which they are mentioned in your paper.
number: The table number (e.g., Table 1) appears above the table title and body in bold font.APA Style tables have the following basic components: