10.3 Tables and Figures

Results can be communicated in text, tables, figures, or some combination of these. A common student mistake is thinking that tables and figures are just decoration. They are not. A good table or figure helps the reader understand the result more clearly.

The challenge is deciding which format best fits the information.

Text, Table, or Figure?

Use this as a starting guide:

If you need to communicate…	Consider using…	Why
One simple result	Text	A full table or figure may be unnecessary
Several descriptive statistics	Table	Tables help organize many values
Many correlations or regression coefficients	Table	Tables reduce clutter in the results paragraph
A pattern across groups	Figure	Figures help readers see differences, overlap, and variability
A distribution, outliers, or shape	Figure	Visuals can reveal patterns descriptive statistics may hide

A good rule is this: use the format that helps the reader understand the result with the least unnecessary clutter.

Writing Results in Text

Use text when the result is simple enough to explain clearly in a sentence or short paragraph.

For example:

Anastasia’s students (M = 74.53, SD = 9.00) had higher grades than Bernadette’s students (M = 69.06, SD = 5.77), t(31) = 2.12, p = .043, d = .74.

A table would probably be unnecessary if this were the only result.

Creating Tables

Tables are useful when there are many values to report. For example, you might use a table to report:

demographic information;
descriptive statistics for several variables;
correlations among variables;
regression coefficients;
group means and standard deviations across several conditions.

The APA Style website has useful support in helping you setup a table.

What makes a good table?

A good table should be understandable without making the reader work too hard. It should have:

a table number;
a clear, italicized title;
meaningful row and column labels;
only the statistics needed to understand the result;
notes when abbreviations, symbols, or unusual decisions need explanation.

Example table structure

Here is a simple example of how descriptive statistics might be organized:

Group	n	M	SD
Anastasia’s class	15	74.53	9.00
Bernadette’s class	18	69.06	5.77

In APA style, the table would also have a table number and title. In a manuscript, that might look like:

Table 1
Descriptive Statistics for Student Grades by Class

Do not paste raw jamovi output without thinking

jamovi output is useful, but it is not always formatted as a polished APA-style table. Sometimes you may be allowed to include jamovi output in an assignment because the goal is to show your work. But in APA-style writing, you usually need to format the table so it is clean, readable, and focused on the information the reader actually needs.

Common Table Mistake

Do not include every statistic just because jamovi provides it. A table with too much information can be harder to understand than no table at all.

Creating Figures

Figures are useful when the visual pattern matters. You might use a figure to show:

the distribution of a variable;
group differences;
overlap across groups;
outliers;
relationships between continuous variables;
interaction patterns.

A good figure should have:

a figure number;
a clear, italicized title;
labeled axes;
readable text;
a caption or note when needed;
a visual form that matches the research question.

For example, if you are comparing exam scores across groups, a box plot or violin plot may be more informative than a bar graph because it can show spread, overlap, and possible outliers.

If you are examining the relationship between study time and exam performance, a scatterplot is usually more useful than a table because the relationship is visual.

Connect Back to Data Visualization

For more guidance on choosing graphs, return to Chapter 6. A figure should help the reader see something important about the data.

The APA Style website has useful support in helping you setup a figure.

Example figure structure

In APA style, the figure would start with a figure number and title. In a manuscript, that might look like:

Figure 1
Scatterplot of Study Time and Exam Performance

Referring to Tables and Figures in Text

Tables and figures should be discussed in the text. Do not just drop them into a results section and expect the reader to know what to do with them.

Useful phrases include:

Descriptive statistics are shown in Table 1.
Correlations among the study variables are shown in Table 2.
Group differences are shown in Figure 1.
As shown in Figure 1, scores were highest in the practice testing group.

Avoid writing:

the table below
the figure above
the graph on the next page

APA style prefers referring to tables and figures by number because their location may change during editing.

Should I Use Both a Table and a Figure?

Sometimes yes, but not always.

A table gives exact values. A figure shows visual patterns. If both are useful, you can include both. But if the table and figure communicate the same simple result, one may be enough.

Ask yourself:

Does the table provide exact values the reader needs?
Does the figure reveal a pattern that is hard to see in the table?
Am I repeating the same information too many times?
Would the reader understand the result better with text alone?

Common Table and Figure Mistakes

Watch for these common issues:

pasting raw jamovi output without formatting;
including too many statistics;
forgetting table or figure numbers;
forgetting clear titles;
using vague labels like Variable 1 or Group A when more meaningful labels are available;
making a figure but not explaining what it shows;
repeating every table value in the paragraph;
using both a table and figure when one would be enough.

A Practical Decision Rule

When writing results, start with text. Then ask whether a table or figure would make the result clearer.

If there are only a few values, text may be enough.
If there are many values, use a table.
If the pattern matters visually, use a figure.
If both exact values and visual pattern matter, use both, but avoid unnecessary repetition.