Writing Research Papers:  Tables

   The advantage in using a table or graph to report data is that a large quanity of information can be presented completely and accurately without filling the text of a paper with a lot of numbers.  Data should be presented in a tables or graph in such a way that the reader can easily understand the information.  Remember, it is not the responsibility of the reader to figure out what the author is trying to show in a table or graph.  It is the sole responsibility of the author of a paper to present data in such a way that it easily conveys information to the reader. To help you do this, here are some conventions to follow in using tables in a research paper.

  1. If more than one table is being used, tables should be numbered so the author can use the table number in the text to refer to information.  Tables should have a title that that clearly and briefly describe the contents of the table.

  2. The rows and columns of the table should be clearly labeled so the reader doesn't have to guess what the numbers in the table are or what they mean.

  3. It should be clear what the numbers are in a table (i.e., percentages, dollars, numbers).  You can easily accomplish this by using totals at the end of a row or the bottom of a column with the appropriate symbol.

Here is a sample table which demonstrates each of the conventions listed above.

 

*ratings represent the percentage of time a Representative votes with an interest group's position.
SOURCE: http://www.projectvotesmart.org
Table 1

Interest Group Ratings* of Selected Members of Congress
Interest Group Truman

D-3

 Kennedy

D-8

 Johnson

D-22

 Carter

D-37

 Nixon

R-5

 Ford

R-18

 Reagan

R-45

 Bush

R-52
Guns for Fun 50 8 55 17 60 75 100 100
Mothers & Others 100 100 95 87 0 40 0 0
Students for Learning 100 100 95 100 80 100 96 100
Farmers for Farming 40 0 20 95 0 70 0 10

Use the same table format to report campaign contribution data. Place the names, party affiliation, and district numbers across the top of the table; in the left hand column place the names of the 13 interest group sectors; replace the interest group rates in each of the cells of the table by substituting the percentage of contribution from that sector. Use the same table format to report the census data for each congressional district as well.

You can use Microsoft Word or Correl WordPerfect to create a table.  If you're not sure how to do this please come to my office hour and I will be happy to show you.  You can also use the same programs to insert footnotes in the appropriate places.

Comparing the Parties: After you have collected the data you can simply "eyeball" it to come to conclusions about the differences between the parties. If you are not comfortable doing this, another way to compare the parties is to compute an average for Republicans and for Democrats for each of the Interest Group Ratings, campaign contributions from each sector, and for each demographic catagory you select from the census. There are at least two ways of reporting party averages.

  1. Add two columns to each table; one column for the Democrat's average, and the second column for the Republican's average.
  2. Report the party averages in a separate table or graph.

Other important things to remember in writing a research paper: