Effective figures and tables: Best of the web
As we ring in a new year, it is time for lists: top ten books of the year, the most-read blog posts of the year, the most-watched TV serial . . . you get the idea. Which is why Editage Insights brings you this curated list, focusing not on text but on preparing effective tables and figures as adjuncts to text in research papers—and not limited to articles published in 2023.
Choose the best format for presenting your research data: tables, figures, and text
Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of preparing tables or figures, you need to decide whether you need either of them, text by itself being good enough for the job. The article helps you choose between the three based on such considerations as the amount of data (choose text in cases where the data “if presented as a table, would warrant only 1 or 2 columns”), the degree of precision required (“Use a table to show many and precise numerical values in a small space”), and whether the numbers fall into a pattern or show a trend and whether “the trend is more important than the precise data values”.
Assuming that you opt for a table or a figure, here are some tips on how to make them effective and attractive.
Tips on effective use of tables and figures in research papers
A comprehensive article that sets out virtually all that you need to know about preparing effective tables and figures, ‘Tips on effective use’ <https://www.editage.com/insights/tips-on-effective-use-of-tables-and-figures-in-research-papers> features a specimen table and a specimen figure (a combination of a line chart and a bar chart) that serve as models of their kind. Both are annotated to discuss each facet in detail (column headings, footnotes, and overall layout for tables and the axes, legend, and source notes for figures). Because the article is long, it begins with three key takeaways. A selective bibliography is appended to the article, comprising 25 items that offer more detailed information on the topic.
6 Easy guidelines for preparing tables and figures for a research manuscript
Tables and figures demand a great deal of attention to minor details, such as whether to use Arabic or roman numerals for numbering, what punctuation, if any, to insert between the number and the title or caption, and whether to end it with a period or not. However, ‘6 Easy guidelines’ <https://www.editage.com/insights/6-easy-guidelines-for-preparing-tables-and-figures-for-a-research-manuscript> opts for a broader view instead and tells you what you need to keep in mind before addressing the minor details. For example, the article reminds you to obtain the necessary permission from the copyright holder if you are reproducing an already published table or figure and advises you to ensure “that the tables and figures in your research manuscript are self-explanatory and can be understood independent of text”.
6 Tips for preparing impactful figures for a research manuscript
If your data indeed tell a story, it is best told through a figure, and “6 Tips’ <https://www.editage.com/insights/6-tips-for-preparing-impactful-figures-for-a-research-manuscript> tells you how to do so with impact. As with ‘6 Easy guidelines’, the article is about such broader considerations as choosing the right type of chart (line, bar, or pie, for example) and, if the figure is in the form of a photograph, obtaining written consent (sometimes referred to as a ‘release’) from those people (subjects), if any, who feature in the photograph.
The articles mentioned above will help you present your data in the form of a table or a figure. However, as you actually start building a table or preparing a figure, you will need specific information on different parts of the table or the figure you have prepared. A straightforward advice is to follow the style used by the journal to which you intend to submit your manuscript that includes tables or figures. However, what is that style? This is where you will need more detailed instructions about trivial details, and Editage Insights have a number of articles to cover these aspects: here are some of them, starting with how to mention a table or a figure in the text through writing the title or caption and going all the way to footnotes.
• Referring to tables and figures in text <https://www.editage.com/insights/referring-to-tables-and-figures-in-text>
• Quick tips on writing titles for tables and figures in scientific papers <https://www.editage.com/insights/quick-tips-on-writing-titles-for-tables-and-figures-in-scientific-papers>
• Presenting data in tables: Guidelines on using row and column headings <https://www.editage.com/insights/presenting-data-in-tables-guidelines-on-using-row-and-column-headings>
• Avoid instructions such as “See Table 2” and “Refer to Figure 6” <https://www.editage.com/insights/avoid-instructions-such-as-see-table-2-and-refer-to-figure-6>
• Footnotes in tables (part 1): choice of footnote markers and their sequence <https://www.editage.com/insights/footnotes-in-tables-part-1-choice-of-footnote-markers-and-their-sequence>
• Footnotes in tables (part 2): formatting, spacing, and punctuation <https://www.editage.com/insights/footnotes-in-tables-part-2-formatting-spacing-and-punctuation>
If what you have read so far has whetted your appetite, you can even run a search for more articles available on Editage Insights: the search bar is available right at the top and centred on the page. Should you wish to look farther afield, here are a few articles from other websites.
• Choosing Chart Types: Consider Context <https://www.nngroup.com/
articles/choosing-chart-types/>
This is the first of a 3-part series, and all make useful reading.
• Figures: the Art of Science: How to prepare figures to make an impression on editors, reviewers, and readers <https://journalofbiogeographynews.org/2020/07/15/figures-the-art-of-science/>
• Data visualization <https://m2.material.io/design/communication/data-visualization.html>
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