Created by Juan Arias, Psychology Paraprofessional, 2012 1
Condensed APA Style (6
th
Ed.) Reference Sheet: TABLES AND FIGURES
In APA style:
Tables and figures appear after the “References” section.
o All tables are presented first, followed by figures.
Each table and figure is presented separately (on its own individual page)
Number all tables and figures with Arabic numerals based on the order in which you first
mention them in the text. (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, etc.)
o Tables: The Table Number (not italicized) goes above the Table Title (italicized),
which itself goes above each table (see example below).
o Figures: The Figure Number (italicized) is the first part of the Figure Caption, and
goes below each figure (see figure example on other side).
There is no need to use suffix letters to indicate table numbers (i.e., Table 6a)
Only include essential and necessary numbers/materials to understand your results
o e.g., No vertical lines in any APA table
A well-constructed table will serve to enhance rather than duplicate the text of your paper
Means, Sample Sizes, Standard Deviations, etc. should be presented separately within the
table.
Citing Tables and Figures in APA:
When writing your paper, make sure to refer to the tables and figures within the text:
Ex: “As can be seen in Table 6, response times were recorded…”
Ex: “…and during this trail, response times were recorded (see Table 6).”
An Example of Standard APA-Style Table (Image from www.owl.purdue.edu):
2
Figures
Tables generally display numerical data in ordered sets of rows and columns. Figures
generally encompass everything else: graphs, charts, drawings, photographs, etc.
APA figures, unlike those you see in other format styles, do not include titles above the
image. Instead, APA uses Figure Captions below the figure. Figure Captions include the figure
number (which is italicized), a brief descriptive phrase (which substitutes for a title), and any
brief explanation necessary for understanding the figure.
APA Figures Checklist:
Do each of your figures have…
1. A solitary spot on its own page, after the References and Tables sections?
2. Correctly graphed data?
(Bar vs. Line graph? Black or grey points only? White background, no borders?)
3. An appropriately scaled and labeled X-Axis?
4. An appropriately scaled and labeled Y-Axis?
5. A Figure Caption below the figure (including italicized figure number and a description)?
6. And nothing else?
…Good.
Example of an APA Style Bar Graph in Completion:
Figure 1. Average preference ratings for different technology types.
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
Computer Internet CellPhone Word Excel
Average Liking Rating
Type of Technology
