Tables

All tables must be referred to in the text in consecutive numerical order. Tables should be referred to as ‘Table 1, Tables 2–7’. (The word ‘Table’ should never be abbreviated.)

Positioning and layout of the table

Each table should be centred on the page width, with a table number and brief caption in point size 10 typed above it.

Tables should be open, drawn with a double thin horizontal line (3/4 pt) at the top and bottom, and a single horizontal line (3/4 pt) separating column headings from data.

Formatting and layout within the table

Write the column headings in sentence case but do not use full stops. Units should be entered in parentheses on a separate line below the column heading. (If the same unit is used throughout the table, it should be written in parentheses on a separate line below the caption.)

Unsimilar items should be aligned on the left, whereas similar items should be aligned on the operator or decimal point. All decimal points must be preceded by a digit.

Table captions

Table captions should be brief and placed centrally above the table, e.g., ‘Table 1: A short title’. No full stop is necessary unless the caption is more than one sentence long, in which case full punctuation should be used. Captions should be typed in point size 10.

Notes in the table

Notes in tables should be designated by superscript lower-case letters, and begun anew for each table. The superscript letter should be placed in alphabetical order moving from left to right across the first row and down to the last. The notes should then be listed directly under the table.

References cited in tables should appear in consecutive numerical order, following the order explained above for notes (left to right, top to bottom). They should appear exactly as references cited in the main body of the document (and be treated as part of the text in terms of numbering, so be careful when moving tables containing references).