Tables - The ACS Style Guide (ACS Publications)

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CHAPTER 16

Tables Downloaded by UNIV OF MINNESOTA on April 16, 2013 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 2006 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2006-STYG.ch016

Betsy Kulamer

T

his chapter presents guidelines for preparing the tables that accompany a scientific paper for publication. Tables are handled in many ways like figures, so this chapter focuses on the ways in which tables are different and briefly discusses the preparation of tables using wordprocessing programs.

When To Use Tables Use tables when the data cannot be presented clearly as narrative, when many precise numbers must be presented, or when meaningful interrelationships can be better conveyed by the tabular format. Tables should supplement, not duplicate, text and figures. (If you are not sure whether you need a table or figure, see Box 15-1.) Examples of material that is best handled as narrative in text are results of IR absorption and NMR chemical shift studies, unless they are major topics of discussion. In many instances, one table with representative data, rather than several tables, is all that is needed to convey an idea.

How To Cite Tables Like figures, all tables must be called out, that is, mentioned or discussed by name and number in the text. ➤ Capitalize the word “Table” when it is followed by the table number. ➤ Number tables sequentially with arabic or roman numerals, depending on the publication’s style, in order of discussion in the text: Table 2 or Table IV. Copyright 2006 American Chemical Society In The ACS Style Guide; Coghill, A., et al.; The ACS Style Guide; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2006.

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➤ Discuss tables sequentially, so that Table 1 is discussed before Table 2, Table 2

before Table 3, and so on. For good examples of a callout in text, see Chapter 15, Figures, pp 345–346.

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How To Prepare Tables There are two kinds of tables: informal (or in-text) and formal. An informal table consists of three to five lines and is no more than four columns wide; it cannot exceed the width of a text column. Informal tables may be placed in text following an introductory sentence, and each column should have a heading. They are not given titles or numbers, nor do they contain footnotes. A formal table should consist of at least three interrelated columns and three rows. If you have only two columns, try writing the material as narrative. If you have three columns, but they do not relate to each other, perhaps the material is really a list of items and not a table at all (see the discussion of lists at the end of this chapter). If your table has unusual alignment and positioning requirements, perhaps it should really be a figure. It is important to understand these differences because tables are more expensive to produce than text; the larger the table, the higher the cost. A well-constructed, meaningful table is worth the expense, but anything else is wasteful and does not enhance your paper. Tables should be simple and concise; arrange all data for optimal use of space. If you have many small tables, consider combining some. Combining is usually possible when the same column is repeated in separate tables or when the same type of material is presented in several small tables. Use consistent wording for all elements of similar or related tables. Be consistent with symbols and abbreviations among tables and between tables and text. ➤ The table width will depend on the widths of its individual columns. • Generally, tables having up to 6 columns will fit in a single journal col-

umn; tables having up to 13 columns will fit in the double-column spread. Tables that exceed the double-column spread will be rotated 90° and set lengthwise on the page. • In books, tables having up to 8 columns can fit in the page width; tables having 9–12 columns will be set lengthwise on the page. Larger tables can span two pages. • In all publications, extremely wide tables can cause composition difficulties. In such cases, consider presenting the material as two or more smaller tables. ➤ The style for the individual parts of tables (i.e., the use of capital and low-

ercase letters and whether the entries are centered or flush left) varies among publications. Consult a recent edition of the journal or the journal’s instructions for authors.

In The ACS Style Guide; Coghill, A., et al.; The ACS Style Guide; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2006.

Chapter 16: Tables

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➤ Keep sections of multipart tables at similar widths. Widely divergent section

widths within a table waste space and detract from general appearance.


Effective tables are well-designed, so think carefully, first, about the data you need to present and, second, about the best way to present it visually on a page. Sometimes, what looks fine on a letter-size sheet of paper is not practicable for a journal or book page. Sometimes, what you originally conceived as the column headings works better as the row headings. (In general, you should have more row headings than column headings.) Understanding the parts of a table will help you design your tables effectively; they are identified in Figure 16-1.

Title ➤ Give every formal table a brief, informative title that describes its contents

in nonsentence format. The title should be complete enough to be understood without referring to the text. Place details in table footnotes, not in the title. ➤ Begin the table title with the word “Table” and its number, and then continue

with the title.

Column Headings Every column must have a heading that describes the material below it. A column heading should not apply to the entire table; information that describes all of the columns belongs in a general table footnote. If a column heading applies to more than one column, use a rule below it that spans the columns to which it applies; this is called a straddle rule. Below the rule, give the specific headings for each column. A unit of measure alone is not an acceptable column heading, unless the column heading appears under a straddle rule. ➤ Be as succinct as possible, keep column headings to two lines if possible, and

use abbreviations and symbols whenever practical. ➤ Be consistent with the text and with other column headings. ➤ Define nonstandard abbreviations in table footnotes. Name the variable being

measured, and indicate the unit of measure after a comma or slash or within enclosing marks. Use the same style within and among all tables.

Column Entries In many tables, the leftmost column is the stub or reading column. Usually, all other columns refer back to it. Stub entries should be consistent with the text as well as logical and grammatically parallel. Main stub entries may also have subentries, which should be indented.


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Column Table headings title

Stub column

Straddle head

Table 2. Conditioned WRA and Mechanical Strength of Plain-Weave Cotton Fabric Treated with Different Cross-Linking Agentsa Cross-Linker Concentration

WRA (deg, w + f) No. Catalyst Curing of Laundering Cycles Flex Abrasion Retention Concentration Condition 1 5 10 20 (no. of cycles, warp)

Unmodified

Table text

Dried

2% NaH2PO2

180 ˚C, 1.5 min

273 261 261 260

309

Soaked

3% NaH2PO2

182 ˚C, 1.3 min

274 260 260 262

310

6% BTCA

4% NaH2PO2

180 ˚C, 1.5 min

287 276 273 270

148

10.5% modified precatalyzed DMDHEU

165 ˚C, 1.5 min

278 273 269 264

68

control

180 ˚C, 1.5 min

190

Modified

Table footnote


8% PMA

868

a The concentrations of PMA, BTCA, and NaH2PO2 are calculated on the basis of 100% active ingredient; the concentration of DMDHEU is based on the weight of the commercial product, which contains 55% solid. The wet pickup of the treated fabric is approximately 105–110%.

Figure 16-1. Parts of a table. Source: Adapted from Chen, D.; Yang, C. Q.; Qiu, X. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2005, 44, 7921–7927. Copyright 2005 American Chemical Society.

➤ Material in columns can be aligned in various ways; use only one type of

alignment per column. Words are usually aligned on the left, and numbers are usually aligned on the decimals, unless they do not have the same units, in which case they are aligned on the left. Use numbers on both sides of a decimal point; numbers less than 1 should have a zero to the left of the decimal point. Columns that are made up of numbers and words together or columns that contain a variety of sizes or types of information might call for alignment on the left, right, or center, depending on the publication’s style. ➤ Do not use ditto marks or the word “ditto” to indicate the same entry in a

column; repeat the entry. ➤ Define nonstandard abbreviations in table footnotes. ➤ Try to keep all entries at similar lengths by placing any explanatory material

in table footnotes. If you use a dash as a column entry, explain it in a footnote the first time it is used (e.g., “—, too low to be measured.”). ➤ Make sure that all of the columns are really necessary. If there are no entries

in most of a column, it probably should be deleted and replaced with a general


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table footnote. Alternatively, if the entries in the entire column are the same, the column should be replaced with an appropriate table footnote, such as “In all cases, the value was x.”


Footnotes Table footnotes include explanatory material referring to the whole table and to specific entries. Examples of information that should be placed in general footnotes referring to the whole table are the following: units of measure that apply to all entries in the table, explanations of abbreviations and symbols used frequently throughout the table, details of experimental conditions if not already described in the text or if different from the text, general sources of data, and other literature citations. Information that should be placed in specific footnotes includes units of measure that are too long to fit in the column headings, explanations of abbreviations and symbols used with only one or two entries, statistical significance of entries, experimental details that apply to specific entries, and different sources of data. In some publications, such as books, general footnotes and sources are not cited with superscripts; they are labeled “Note” and “Source”, respectively. Specific footnotes are cited with superscripts. In other publications, all footnotes are cited with superscripts. Check the directions for the publication to which you are submitting your paper. ➤ Where superscripts are needed, use superscript lowercase italic letters in alpha-

betical order, starting from the top of the table and proceeding from left to right. ➤ Write footnotes as narrative and use standard punctuation. Short phrases

such as “ND, not determined.” and “x = 23.” are acceptable. ➤ Label each footnote with its superscript letter and group the footnotes together

at the end of the table. All footnotes must have a callout in the table title or text.

Using Word-Processing Software When you prepare your tables using word-processing software, a few techniques ensure a smoother transition to either Web or print publication. ➤ In Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, use the software’s table feature, rather than aligning columns using the tab key. Entries arranged with the table feature are more likely to be properly aligned in publication than entries that have been tabbed. ➤ Set up the table in 10 or 12 point type, although 8 point type can be used if

necessary. If you need to use type smaller than 8 points to fit your table on a letter-size page, it probably will not fit comfortably on a book or journal page. ➤ Double-space the text in the table.


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➤ When you use the table feature, put only one row of entries in each row of

the table. Do not put multiple entries in a single cell by using the hard return. ➤ Avoid using hard returns to add space between rows of the table. If you wish

to show more space than is apparent with double-spacing, use the line formatting feature of the word-processing program instead.

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If you follow the recommendations presented in this chapter, you should experience trouble-free submission of your tables. Keep the following points in mind: ➤ Place formal tables after the references at the end of the text file, each on its

own page. ➤ Place informal tables in place within the text. ➤ Submit a printout of tables along with the printout of text if the publisher

requests one. ➤ If a table must contain structures or other art or special symbols, or if a table

has special alignment and positioning requirements, be sure that these are evident on the printout. Publishing with ACS: In manuscripts submitted to ACS journals through Paragon, tables should always be embedded in the text document before submission, that is, tables should not be submitted as separate files from the text. Tables in manuscripts submitted through the Paragon Plus environment can be embedded in the text or supplied separately.

When To Use Lists Sometimes you may need to give numerous examples of items, such as chemical names. In such cases, if there are too many to run into the text, they can be set as a list in some publications. Put the entries in alphabetical order, unless there is a reason to do otherwise. A list of names is not truly a figure and not really a table. Give the list an unnumbered title. In ACS journals, lists may be handled as informal tables or even as charts.

potentially carcinogenic medicines azacitidine azathioprine chloramphenicol chlornaphazine

cyclophosphamide cytarabine dacarbazine fluorouracil

methotrexate nitrofurazone phenacetin phenoxybenzamine


Tables - The ACS Style Guide (ACS Publications)

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