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Making Journal-Quality Tables

Making Journal-Quality Tables. Nola du Toit Center for Family and Demographic Research Spring 2008. Why make tables into journal-quality tables?. Easier to read Standard way of presenting findings Reader does not have to struggle to find information A presentation of your hard work

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Making Journal-Quality Tables

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  1. Making Journal-Quality Tables Nola du Toit Center for Family and Demographic Research Spring 2008

  2. Why make tables into journal-quality tables? • Easier to read • Standard way of presenting findings • Reader does not have to struggle to find information • A presentation of your hard work • Makes your paper (and you) look professional

  3. Example of a bad table….

  4. Think about… • Who is your audience? • What are you presenting?

  5. Who is your audience? • Class paper • Still has to look professional • Tip: Create a shell that you can use for all future work

  6. Who is your audience? • Conference presentations • Make a table to save space • Present only most important results

  7. Who is your audience? • Journal submission • Specific to journals • Check their websites • Manuscript submission guidelines • Look at recent publications

  8. Examples of Journal Preferences • American Sociological Review • e.g. Standard errors, deviations, etc in parentheses under coefficients, etc… • Criminology • e.g. Table not in text, only space-holder where table would be, etc…

  9. Think about… • What are you presenting? • Descriptive results • Bivariate, multivariate, etc • Only significant results • Better in graph form?

  10. What all tables should have… • Title • Reference • e.g. Table 1a., Table 13…. • Be consistent! • With period/without period in title • Font • Names of variables, etc • Decimals all in line

  11. What all tables should NOT have… • Vertical lines • Bold or italic lettering in the body • Only okay for titles • Too many numbers behind decimal • Usually only require two numbers behind the decimal • Include the 0 • 0.98 not .984357

  12. Example of a good table….

  13. Making the table… • Getting data into Excel • By hand • Or the easy way • Formatting the table • Getting the table into Word

  14. Getting SAS results into Excel • Use HTML output • Tools  options  preferences  results  create HTML (check box)  select a folder for saving  select style minimal • Run SAS • HTML page opens • Select all  copy  paste into Excel • OR right-click on file  choose to open with Excel

  15. Getting Stata results into Excel • Run Stata • Highlight table • Right click  Select copy table or copy table as HTML • Paste in Excel

  16. Copy table Copy table as HTML

  17. Formatting your tables in Excel • Select cells and use toolbar or • Select cells  right click  selectformat cells • Just a few examples…

  18. Formatting numbers on your table • Right-click on table  select format cells • Number, percentages • Decimal places • Custom placeholders • # for an insignificant zero • 0 for leading with a zero • ? for lining up decimals • 0.900 vs. .9

  19. Merging headers • To make the headers cover more than one column • Highlight cells  click on merge

  20. Adding borders • Highlight cells  click on tables icon

  21. Adding borders • Highlight cells  right-click on cells  select format cells  select border  select border type, color, and placement

  22. Getting your table into Word • Highlight table  right-click  select copy • Open word document • Find location in word document • Click on file  select paste special  select picture (enhanced metafile)

  23. Formatting your table in Word • To change the size, layout, etc of table in Word • Right click on table  select format picture • Change size, placement, etc…

  24. Helpful sites Criminology http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/submit.asp?ref=0011-1384 JMF http://oregonstate.edu/%7Eacock/tables/ AJS http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/page/AJS/instruct.html

  25. The CFDR can help! • Thanks to Meredith, Aurea, and Heidi • Thanks to David for his input

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