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Making Journal-Quality Tables

This guide addresses the importance of crafting journal-quality tables for presenting research findings clearly and professionally. It discusses key considerations such as audience awareness, concise data presentation, and adherence to specific journal submission guidelines. Learn about essential features tables should have, like titles, consistent formatting, and proper numerical representation, as well as what to avoid, such as excessive decimal points and inconsistent styles. Gain practical skills for formatting tables in Excel and Word, ensuring your work stands out in conferences and publications.

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Making Journal-Quality Tables

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  1. Making Journal-Quality Tables Nola du Toit Center for Family and Demographic Research Spring 2008

  2. Why make tables into journal-quality tables? • Easier to read • Standard way of presenting findings • Reader does not have to struggle to find information • A presentation of your hard work • Makes your paper (and you) look professional

  3. Example of a bad table….

  4. Think about… • Who is your audience? • What are you presenting?

  5. Who is your audience? • Class paper • Still has to look professional • Tip: Create a shell that you can use for all future work

  6. Who is your audience? • Conference presentations • Make a table to save space • Present only most important results

  7. Who is your audience? • Journal submission • Specific to journals • Check their websites • Manuscript submission guidelines • Look at recent publications

  8. Examples of Journal Preferences • American Sociological Review • e.g. Standard errors, deviations, etc in parentheses under coefficients, etc… • Criminology • e.g. Table not in text, only space-holder where table would be, etc…

  9. Think about… • What are you presenting? • Descriptive results • Bivariate, multivariate, etc • Only significant results • Better in graph form?

  10. What all tables should have… • Title • Reference • e.g. Table 1a., Table 13…. • Be consistent! • With period/without period in title • Font • Names of variables, etc • Decimals all in line

  11. What all tables should NOT have… • Vertical lines • Bold or italic lettering in the body • Only okay for titles • Too many numbers behind decimal • Usually only require two numbers behind the decimal • Include the 0 • 0.98 not .984357

  12. Example of a good table….

  13. Making the table… • Getting data into Excel • By hand • Or the easy way • Formatting the table • Getting the table into Word

  14. Getting SAS results into Excel • Use HTML output • Tools  options  preferences  results  create HTML (check box)  select a folder for saving  select style minimal • Run SAS • HTML page opens • Select all  copy  paste into Excel • OR right-click on file  choose to open with Excel

  15. Getting Stata results into Excel • Run Stata • Highlight table • Right click  Select copy table or copy table as HTML • Paste in Excel

  16. Copy table Copy table as HTML

  17. Formatting your tables in Excel • Select cells and use toolbar or • Select cells  right click  selectformat cells • Just a few examples…

  18. Formatting numbers on your table • Right-click on table  select format cells • Number, percentages • Decimal places • Custom placeholders • # for an insignificant zero • 0 for leading with a zero • ? for lining up decimals • 0.900 vs. .9

  19. Merging headers • To make the headers cover more than one column • Highlight cells  click on merge

  20. Adding borders • Highlight cells  click on tables icon

  21. Adding borders • Highlight cells  right-click on cells  select format cells  select border  select border type, color, and placement

  22. Getting your table into Word • Highlight table  right-click  select copy • Open word document • Find location in word document • Click on file  select paste special  select picture (enhanced metafile)

  23. Formatting your table in Word • To change the size, layout, etc of table in Word • Right click on table  select format picture • Change size, placement, etc…

  24. Helpful sites Criminology http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/submit.asp?ref=0011-1384 JMF http://oregonstate.edu/%7Eacock/tables/ AJS http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/page/AJS/instruct.html

  25. The CFDR can help! • Thanks to Meredith, Aurea, and Heidi • Thanks to David for his input

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