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APA Style Guide: 7th Edition

General Information & Checklist

A table must:

  • contain columns and rows
  • be directly and clearly related to the content of the document
  • present information that can't be conveyed through textual description alone
  • be numbered clearly at the top left, starting with Table 1
  • include a brief but clear title one double-spaced line below the table number
  • not contain vertical lines

The following is an example of a table:

The following checklist may be helpful in ensuring that your table communicates most effectively and conforms to APA Style and formatting conventions:

  • Is the table necessary?
  • Does it belong in the print version of the article, or can it go in an online supplemental file?
  • Are all comparable tables in the paper consistent in presentation?
  • Are all tables numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text? Is the table number bold and flush left?
  • Are all tables called out or referred to in the text?
  • Is the title brief but explanatory? Is it written in italic case and flush left?
  • Does every column have a column head? Are all column headings centered?
  • Are all abbreviations explained, as well as special use of italics, parentheses, dashes, bold, and symbols?
  • Are the notes in the following order: general note, specific note, probability note? Are the notes double-spaced and flush left and in the same font as the text of the paper?
  • Are table borders correctly applied?
  • Is the line spacing of the table correctly applied?
  • Are entries in the left column flush left beneath the centered heading? Are all other column headings and cell entries centered?
  • Are all vertical rules eliminated?
  • Are confidence intervals reported for all major point estimates? Is the confidence level - for example, 95% - stated, and is the same level of confidence used for all tables and throughout the paper?
  • If the results of statistical significance testing are included in the table, are all p values provided? Are asterisks attached to the appropriate table entries only when needed (as opposed to stating exact probabilities)? When used, is a probability level assigned the same number of asterisks in all tables in the same paper?
  • If all or part of a copyrighted table is reproduced or adapted, do the table notes give full credit to the copyright owner? Have you received written permission for reuse (in print and electronic form) from the copyright holder and sent a copy of that written permission to the journal editor with the final version of your paper?

 

The information above is adapted from page 207:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). (2020). American Psychological Association.