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What are the common mistakes to avoid when formatting tables and figures in APA style?

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If you are writing a research paper or a thesis in APA style, you need to pay attention to how you present your tables and figures. Tables and figures are visual aids that can help you communicate your data and findings more effectively. However, they also have to follow certain rules and guidelines to ensure clarity, consistency, and accuracy. In this article, you will learn about some of the common mistakes to avoid when formatting tables and figures in APA style and how to fix them.

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Kimberly Nagan

Scientific Writer

1 Use appropriate labels

One of the first things you need to do when creating a table or a figure is give it a label. A label consists of two parts: a number and a title. The number indicates the order of the table or figure in the text, and the title describes the content or purpose of the table or figure. For example, Table 1. Correlation between variables or Figure 2. Scatterplot of scores. You should use Arabic numerals for the numbers and capitalize the first word and proper nouns in the titles. You should also place the labels above the tables and below the figures, aligned to the left margin.

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Kimberly Nagan

Scientific Writer
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According to the APA website (apastyle.apa.org), the table number (e.g., Table 1) appears above the table and is in bold font. No punctuation follows this heading. On the following line (double spaced), the table title is written in title case, italic font, not bold. Again, no punctuation follows the title.

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2 Follow the formatting rules

Another important aspect of formatting tables and figures in APA style involves following the specific rules for fonts, spacing, alignment, borders, and colors. For fonts, you should use the same font as the rest of the text, preferably Times New Roman, 12-point. For spacing, you should use double-spacing throughout the table or figure, except for the title, which can be single-spaced. For alignment, you should align the text to the left and the numbers to the right, unless otherwise specified. For borders, you should use horizontal lines to separate the title, the column headings, and the bottom of the table, but avoid vertical lines or other unnecessary lines. For colors, you should use black and white or grayscale, unless you need to highlight or differentiate some elements.

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Kimberly Nagan

Scientific Writer
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Sometimes tables span multiple pages. If this is the case, be sure to repeat the column and row headings on each page. It is acceptable to use landscape orientation to accommodate a wide table.

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3 Provide clear and concise information

The main purpose of tables and figures is to present information that is relevant, accurate, and easy to understand. Therefore, you should avoid including information that is redundant, irrelevant, or confusing. For example, you should not repeat the same information in the text and in the table or figure, or include data that is not related to your research question or hypothesis. You should also use clear and concise language, abbreviations, and symbols that are consistent with the APA style and the conventions of your field. For example, you should use standard abbreviations for units of measurement, such as kg, cm, or s, and explain any non-standard abbreviations or symbols in a note below the table or figure.

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4 Cite your sources and add notes

The last thing you need to do when formatting tables and figures in APA style is to cite your sources and add notes if necessary. If you have used data or images from another source, you need to give credit to the original author or publisher by using an in-text citation and a reference list entry. For example, you can write (Adapted from Smith, 2020) or (Reprinted from Jones, 2019) below the table or figure, and include the full citation in the reference list. You can also add notes to provide additional information or clarification that is not included in the table or figure itself. For example, you can use a general note to explain the abbreviations, symbols, or statistical tests used, a specific note to indicate a footnote or an asterisk, or a probability note to report the significance level of your results.

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What are the common mistakes to avoid when formatting tables and figures in APA style?

1

2

3

4

1 Use appropriate labels

2 Follow the formatting rules

3 Provide clear and concise information

4 Cite your sources and add notes

Writing

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What are the common mistakes to avoid when formatting tables and figures in APA style?

1

2

3

4

1 Use appropriate labels

2 Follow the formatting rules

3 Provide clear and concise information

4 Cite your sources and add notes

Writing

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