Data presentation

Elsadig Agabna Elahdi

Introduction
In scientific paper, report and thesis data are
summarized and presented either as tables or figures
.They are used in the result section to show the general
trend of the date and also helpful in discussion section.
Sometimes tables are used in the materials and
methods section.
Atablehas vertical columns and horizontal rows with
headings for each.
Afigurerefers to all other graphic illustrations, such as
graphs, maps, pie charts, diagrams and photographs.
Data presented in tables should not be duplicated in
graphs, and vice versa.

What is the relationship between the

text and atableor afigure?
Tablesandfiguresshouldcomplementinformationinthe
text although both the graphic and the text should also
makesensealone.
Tablesandfiguresare often best placed immediately
afterdiscussionthatrelatesdirectlytotheminthetext.
Theacademicwritershouldmakeanexplicitreferenceto
thefigureortablein the relevant part of the text
(e.g.Figure 1 illustrates how...) and should pick out
important information and highlight any connections of
significance.Bylookingatthetableorfigure,thereader
shouldbeabletogainamoredetailedunderstandingof
thepointsbeingmadeinthetext.

How shouldtablesandfiguresbe
labelled?
Everytableandfigureshould have a title and a number. If
they are being used in an extended piece of academic
writing such as a dissertation it is helpful to use a sequence
of numbers for each chapter, e.g.Table 1.1, Table 1.2(in
Chapter 1); Table 2.1, Table 2.2(in Chapter 2) etc.
Figuresandtablesusually have a different sequence of
numbers, e.g.Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, Table 2. The title
of each should be concise and include all the key words
which clearly indicate the content of thefigureortable.
The title for atableappears above it in the text whereas
the title for afigureappears below it.
If thefigureortablecomes from another source this should
be clearly referenced immediately afterwards in the text.

Example of listing of tables and

figures in thesis

List of tables and figures

Table 2.1: Change in soil properties..11
Table 2.2: Distribution of soil organism13
Table 5.1 Plant height
55
List of Figures
Figure
2.1..17
Figure
5.157

 The table and figure should be understandable on its own,

without reference to the text.
. Each figure and table should be Numbered sequentially in
the order in which they are referred to in the text
Number figures and tables are separately.
. The tables and figures should be organized as if they tell story
Generally tables and figure appeared after the reference
section in separate page .
All figures and tables should be referenced in the text of the
article.
Obtain permission from the copyright holder (usually the
publisher) and acknowledge the source, if you are including a
table or figure that has already been published.

Figure
Label each axis including units of measurement and clearly identify
the data you are displaying (e.g. label each line in a graph).
Check with the journal, but most want the figure legends listed in
numerical order on a separate page and each figure on a separate
page in numerical order.
Figures are usually in black and white. Color is extremely expensive to
publish, and should only be used when it provides unique information.
. Do not include experimental details in the legend; these details
should be included in the methods section.
Be sure that the overall style in the figures follows journal standards.
For example,
if you use Mg ha1 in the text, do not use Mg/ha in the figures.
Define all abbreviations in the caption, even if they appear in the
overall abbreviations list.
Italicize variables Check the spelling of all text in each figure.

Tables
Use table feature in word, dont use excel software.
Do not use the enter key within the body of the table.
Instead, separate data horizontally with a new row.
Do not insert blank columns or rows.
Asterisks or letters next to values indicating statistical
significance should appear in the same cell as the
value, not an adjacent cell (i.e., they should not have
their own column).
Spell out abbreviations on first mention in tables, even
if they have already been defined in the text. (table
should stand alone, complete and informative in itself.)

Structure of a table
Title should be brief but informative, with no
units of measurement
Each column should have a heading
describing the material below it. The units
is shown in the first row below the
headings. When the same units apply to
adjacent columns, state the unit only once
and use em dashes on each side of the unit
to indicate how many columns
are included.

Tables and figures in the appendices

If tables and diagrams do not fit neatly into the text
of your essay then place them in your Appendices
section. Appendices begin on a new page after the
references with a centred plain-text heading
Appendix or Appendix A, Appendix B, and so
on. Place the Appendix/Appendices after the
reference list in the order in which they are
mentioned in your writing. Each appendix must start
on a new page. When you refer to a table or figure
in an appendix, use the labels Appendix A, Appendix
B, Appendix C in the text of your essay or report:
As shown in Appendix B,

CITINGTABLESANDFIGURES in
academic writing
Example
Table show/ list the effect of salinity on plant
height
Plant height decrease with increase in soil salinity
(Table 1)
Figure 1 illustrate the effect of salinity on plant
growth
Plant growth decrease significantly with increase in
soil salt solution (Fig.1)
ThewordFiguremustbespelledoutonlyatthestar
tofasentence.Otherwise,OKtouseFig.. But
always spell the word table.