Tips on effective use of tables and figures in research papers.
The top list of academic research databases Whether you are writing a thesis, dissertation, or research paper it is a key task to survey prior literature and research findings. Especially, you will be looking for trusted resources, most likely peer reviewed research articles.But while well-presented tables and figures in research papers can efficiently capture and present information, poorly crafted tables and figures can confuse readers and impair the effectiveness of a paper. 16 To help authors get the balance right, this article presents some essential guidelines to the effective use of tables and figures in research papers.Tables are a very important part of scientific papers. A good table should present the data simply, clearly and neatly, and allow the reader to understand the results without having to look at other sections of the paper. A bad table can be very confusing, and may reduce the chances of your paper being accepted.
HOW TO INSERT A LIST OF FIGURES. Click on the Reference tab. Click on Insert Table of Figures in the Captions section. Under General, make sure that Caption label is set to Figure. Also make sure that Include label and number is unchecked. Click on Modify. This shows a preview of the font that will be used to create your List of Figures. Click on Modify.In a table you present a summary of your data. Typically this will include mean, standard deviation and sample size statistics (for quantitative research projects). An example of a well-formatted table is given below (Table 1). Table 1: Item and order errors by list similarity for native and non-native groups.
Do not use suffix letters (e.g. Table 3a, 3b, 3c); instead, combine the related tables. If the manuscript includes an appendix with tables, identify them with capital letters and Arabic numerals (e.g. Table A1, Table B2). Titles. Like the title of the paper itself, each table must have a clear and concise title.
