6.

Constructing
Engineering Tables and
Figures
Why are figures & tables
sometimes included in
academic texts?
• Data is used to support the information
and ideas of the writer
• Data should enhance an explanation and
clarify ideas or information
• Summarize information concisely
• Give weight to an argument
• Provide evidence to support claims made
in the text
• Show results of experiments
2 Types of Data
 Table Format
• Use headings to identify contents of columns.
• Use headings, if necessary, to identify contents of rows.
• Text => left-align the column.
• Numeral => right-align the column heading and
center the contents.
• Put measurement types in column or row headings.
• Table TOP title:
• Title above table
• Use Table number
• Title can be separate from table or first row of table.
• Write the source of the table on the bottom if it is
someone else’s, even if only some of it is used.
 Table Title
Table 1. Major U.S. producers of CO2
emissions Column heading
Regions Emissions (centered over
Million metric tons numeric data)
Text is left- Numerals right-
aligned (row Texas 296.6
align and
headings)
center
California 261.5

Other States 2021.0

Total 2579.1
The word
source Source: “Blah, blah, blah,” Cite the
should www.somewhere.com Accessed April source
always be 6, 2016.
in italics
 Figures Guidelines

• Title: BOTTOM of the figure.

• Labels: to identify parts or units of

measurement and other details. Use a
legend if necessary.

• Sources are written under the title.

 Legend

Title on the
Figure 1. A bar chart bottom of figure

Source: I. M. Writer, The Title of the Source

Book. Place: Publisher, 2011.
Commentary
 Language for
incorporating data
…(see figure 1).
Figure 2 below shows…
…is illustrated in Table 3.
Table 4 indicates…
Figure 5 shows…
 Commenting on tables and
figures
1. Comment on the subject of the data.
2. Make a general comment on the main trend.
3. Comment on some of the significant
features.
4. If appropriate, compare/contrast various
aspects of the data.
5. Discuss the data. You might look at the
implications or the reasons for some of the
trends suggested by the data. This should be
based on evidence.
 Language of Data
Commentary
Nouns Verb Forms
Rise Rise/rose/has risen
Increase Increase/increased/has increased
Fall Fall/fell/has fallen
Drop Drop/dropped/has dropped
Decrease Decrease/decreased/has
decreased
Stability Stabilize/stabilized/has stabilized
Fluctuation Fluctuate/fluctuated/has
fluctuated
 Comment on the
following data:
Table 1: Asian students at the Oceanic School
Total no. of Taiwanes Japanese Chinese Thai Other
students e
1999 73 15 15 9 14 20
2000 89 12 15 17 15 30
2001 107 17 9 23 13 45
2002 155 20 7 60 17 51
2003 204 19 7 93 15 70
 Vocabulary

• Trend – tendency, movement, development.

• Emerging – developing, evolving /
developed.
• Expound – explain, expand.
• Weight – influence, power, substance,
significance, importance.
• Implications – inferences, suggestions,
allegations, effects, consequences.