How to Prepare Tables & Figures,Significance of Table & Figure,A good table or figure is worth 1000 words. Good figures and tables in a paper look like something for shop window.,As we know that academic writing often uses tables and figures to present information or research results together with a verbal account, which are also named as illustration or illustrative material.,Outline,. Definition and function of a table and a figure . Format of a table or a figure . Principles for preparing tables and figures,What is a “Table” ?,A table contains data given in tabular form or it is a set of facts or figures systematically displayed in rows or columns.,What is a “Figure” ?,Figure, also called graphic representation, is the general name of any other type of illustrative materials such as a graph, a chart, a diagram or a photograph, a map and computer printouts, etc,Sample of a Bar Graph Stage 1: Establishing a context Stage 2: Reviewing previous research Stage 3: Stating the problems Stage 4: Stating the purpose of the study Stage 5: Justifying the significance of your study Fig. A Framework of an Introduction in the thesis,Sample of a Pie Diagram,Sample of a Tree Diagram,s,NP,AUX,VP,N,V,PP,P,NP,John,will,go,to,Pairs,Fig. A Structural Description of a Sentence in the Form of a Tree Diagram,What are the functions of tables & figures?,Tables & figures can present information more clearly by revealing complex relationship in a simple way. Tables & figures can enable readers understand patterns more effectively and economically than a verbal account alone.,Format of a table / figure,A. label (or number) (序号) B. caption (or title) (标题) C. body (图表主体) D. source (材料来源) E. footnote (附注/说明),Principles for preparing tables and figures,A. Content B. Location C. Numbering D. Caption E. Source F. Footnote G. Cross-reference (参见) and comments (说明文字),A. Content,The information in a table or figure should be self-sufficient and be understood independently.,B. Location,Place tables or figures as close as possible to the discussion of the fact or data. Large tables or figures can be placed on a separate page or part (e.g. in the appendix).,C. Numbering,Tables or figures should be numbered with Arabic numerals (seldom Roman ones). Tables or figures may be numbered consecutively through the paper. Sometimes they may be double-numbered by chapter (e.g. Table 3.2) If some tables and figures appear in the same paper, they should be numbered separately within their own order.,D. Caption,Each table or figure must have a caption in a form of a descriptive phrase. The caption of a table should be placed above the table beginning with the word “Table ”, while the caption of a figure often appears below the figure beginning with the word “Figure ”or “Fig. ”. The caption may be in all capital letters or with capital letters used only for the first letter of main words.,Sample of a Good Table Caption,Which one is more clearly? Table 3.2 The Results of Tests Table 3.2 Differences in Test Score on CET- 4 between Group A & Group B,E. Source,If the table or figure is borrowed from others, you should indicate its bibliographical information with the word “Source”. Sometimes you may use “Adapted from ” in parentheses.,Sample of a Source,Source: Digest of Education Statistics, 1998. (Washington: FPO, 1998), Table 282 or (Adapted from “Digest of Education Statistics”, 1998,Washington: FPO, Table 282),F. Footnote,Tables or figures may require notes that give explanation information,which are put below the table or figure. A note that applies to a table or figure is indicated by the word “Note” (italicized or underlined).,Sample of a Footnote,Notes: a. These figures include b. HB = high-balanced learners,G. Cross-reference and Comments,A clear cross-reference must be given to any table or figure in the text. Usually, there are two ways of showing cross-references. One is to write in brackets, the other is to make it part of a sentence. e.g. ( see Table 2.1 ) e.g. Fig. 3 shows that (or) It is seen from Fig. 3 that ,Sometimes a table or figure needs not only a cross-reference but a more detailed comment to explain or analyze its content, so as to focus the readers attention and lead them naturally into the discussion of the results.,Sample of Comments,Topic: Assessing the Effectiveness of Immersion Course in Teaching English Figure 1.2 displays the scores on the four tests for the non-immersion and immersion students of English. Students in the English immersion program performed significantly better than those not following the program on all four tests. For example, in the listening test, immersion students scored an average of 70 points compared with non-immersion students who averaged only 40. The findings clearly indicate the amount of exposure to a foreign language has a marked effect on student performance.,Discussion Questions,1. Why is a table or figure necessary