Parts Of A Table For Tabulation In Statistics?

First of all, a table which is to be used in statistics must have a title. This should be written at the top and in capital letters. It should explain the table as a whole, as well as explaining its contents. Parts of the title may be separated by commas, but no full stops should be used. The title is then followed by the remaining components of the table.

• Column captions or box heads

The vertical headings or subheadings of columns are referred to as column captions. The spaces in which these captions have to be written are known as box heads. Capitals are only used for the first letter of the caption, all other words are written in lower case.

• Row captions or stubs

Horizontal headings or subheadings for each row are known as row captions. The spaces provided for these captions are referred to as stubs.

• Main body

This is the main part of the table, where the numerical data in accordance with the column and row captions is entered.

• Prefatory notes

Prefatory notes usually consist of a statement, placed in brackets below the title, describing relevant units of measurement.

• Foot notes

Foot notes typically appear immediately below the main body of the table and provide any necessary additional information.

• Source notes

The source notes at the end of a table indicate where used information originated, such as a compiling agency, a publication or website, etc.

Generally, tables should be attractive, simple and not requiring further explanations. Column and row captions should be clear. Units of measurement must be well defined and figures may be rounded up or down as appropriate. If large amounts of data are to be shown, they should be divided it into several tables. Classes should be divided by thick lines, sub classes by thin lines.