Test your understanding of the APA Style rules on tables by working through this short exercise. Each question provides the correct answer, and you'll also be able to see all the correct answers at the end of the exercise.
For more information on formatting tables, please see pages 125-150 in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010) (hereafter referred to as the APA manual). Please also see Table Tips from the APA Style Blog.
To repeat and therefore emphasize information explained within the discussion
To provide supplemental information to the discussion i.e., information that isn't critical to the discussion but that may be of interest to the reader
To provide, contrast, or compare data that is more easily understood in table form than via expression in the text
To add an illustration to the document
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Table number and title
Table caption
Table reference
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Can include suffix letters to show relationships between tables e.g., Table 1a, Table 1b
Should not include suffix letters. Instead, number all tables with Arabic numerals in the order they are first mentioned in the text e.g., : Table 1, Table 2
Should be in the same font as the rest of the text but should be italicized
Should be in a larger font e.g., Times New Roman, 14 pt but not italicized
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In sentence case and italicized
In sentence case but no italics
In title case but no italics
In title case and italicized
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Either single- or double-spaced, depending on what makes the text most readable
Single-spaced
Double-spaced
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True. Lines help readers understand relationships between data.
False. Lines should be restricted to those needed for clarity. Spacing between columns and rows, and/or alignment of data demonstrates relationships, not lines.
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A general note, which explains the table and any abbreviations or symbols.
A specific note, which explains a particular section of the table.
A probability note, which explains how abbreviations and symbols have been used to "indicate p values and thus the results of tests of statistical hypothesis testing" (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 139).
If the table was first published elsewhere (i.e., the table isn't the author's original work), the reference for the table appears in the general note. In a thesis or major project, authors must obtain written copyright permission from the original author to use previously-published illustrations, and copyright permission statements should also appear in the note.
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Tables must follow the same page orientation as the rest of the document and may appear on a larger page (e.g., 8.5"x14").
Tables may have a landscape page orientation, but the page should be the same size as the rest of the document (e.g., 8.5"x11").
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True
False
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The appropriate page number: "As shown in the table on page 10".
The table title: "As shown in the table titled Word Table Example"
The table number: "As shown in Table 2".
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