LibGuides: APA 7th: Figures and Tables

Figures and Tables

Tables and figures

A table usually shows numerical values (such as means and standard deviations) and/or textual information (lists of stimulus words, responses from participants, etc.) arranged in columns and rows. A figure may be a chart, graph, photograph, drawing, plot, infographic, or any other illustration that is not a table.

Tables and figures (includes images) follow similar set up and formatting. The guidelines below focus on examples of tables and figures taken from other sources and included in student papers. For details on creating tables or figures for submission to journals or graduate theses, see the APA style website’s Tables and figures or consult the APA Publication Manual directly (Section 7, pp. 195–250).

General Guidelines

General guidelines

All figures and tables must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in your work. Do not just use the number assigned in the original source.
Mention figures and tables in the text by their number. Do not refer to the table/figure using just "the table above" or "the figure below."
Each table and figure must be intelligible without reference to the text. Add a note when further description, for example, definitions or copyright attribution, is necessary to explain the figure or table. Most student papers will require a general note for copyright attribution and acknowledgement whether it is reprinted or adapted from another source.
If permission is required for reprinting or adapting, at the end of the citation place: “Reprinted with permission” or “Adapted with permission” followed by a period.
All the sources must have a full bibliographic entry in your Reference List.

Order of components

Above the figure/table

Write "Figure" or "Table" in bold font, flush left, followed by the number.
Write the figure/table title using italic case below the figure/table number.
Double-space the figure/table number and title
Embed image.

Below the figure/table

On a new line below the figure/table, flush left, place Note. Provide further details/explanation about the information in the figure/table only if necessary. State if material is reprinted or adapted, use "From" if reprinted or "Adapted from" if adapted. Followed directly by the copyright attribution—this is basically the same information as found in the reference list entry but in a different order.
Separate figure/table from the text with one blank double-spaced line.

Placement in paper

There are two options when using tables and figures in a student paper:
- embed in the text after it is first mentioned or,
- place on a separate page after the reference list (an appendix).
When embedding all figures and tables are aligned with the left margin.
All examples in this guide show embedded figures and tables.

Refer directly to the APA Publication Manual for more detailed notes on placement (Section 7.6, p. 198).

Examples of figures and tables with references

Figure 1.

Comparison of Argentina and Austria for the six Hofstede dimensions

Table 1.

Classification of employees according to presence or absence of job satisfaction

Note. From “Job satisfaction among Spanish tax administration employees: A logistic regression analysis”, by E. Villar-Rubio, J. Delgado-Alaminos and P. Barrilao-González, 2015, Journal of Labor Research, 36(2), 217 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-015-9202-3. Copyright 2015 by Springer Science & Business Media.

References

Hofstede Insights. (n.d.). Compare Countries. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/

Villar-Rubio, E., Delgado-Alaminos, J., & Barrilao-González, P. (2015). Job satisfaction among Spanish tax administration employees: A logistic regression analysis.

Journal of Labor Research, 36(2), 210–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-015-9202-3