APA Tables and Figures: Formatting Rules and Examples

APA Tables and Figures Should Clarify the Evidence

APA tables and figures are not decorative extras. Their purpose is to present information more efficiently than prose can, while remaining clear enough for a reader to understand without guessing what the display means. A table is best when readers need organized values or text in rows and columns. A figure is better for a visual relationship, trend, process, map, photograph, diagram, or other illustration.

APA 7 treats tables and figures as closely related display types. Both are numbered, titled, referred to in the text, and accompanied by notes when readers need definitions, statistical explanations, source attribution, or copyright information. The APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition devotes a full chapter to their design and use, and APA also maintains dedicated table and figure setup guidance online.

For the paper-wide rules that surround these displays, use APA 7th Edition: Complete Formatting and Citation Guide as the immediate APA pillar.

APA Tables and Figures at a Glance

When to Use a Table, a Figure, or Plain Text

Use a display because it makes the evidence easier to understand, not because the assignment looks more impressive with graphics. Repeating the same information in prose, a table, and a figure wastes space and makes the reader decide which version matters most.

• Use a table when exact values, categories, comparisons, or structured text matter.
• Use a figure when a pattern, relationship, trend, sequence, spatial layout, or visual object matters.
• Use prose when the information is simple enough to explain clearly in one or two sentences.

The APA Style website provides separate table setup guidance and figure setup guidance. Use those pages when a display has an unusual structure that does not fit a standard student example.

How to Format an APA Table

A well-designed table should be readable without a maze of borders, shading, or unexplained abbreviations. The visual structure should guide the eye from the row and column headings to the values that answer the reader’s question.

1. Number the Table

Place the table number above the table, flush left, and set the number in bold. Number tables in the order in which you first mention them in the paper: Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, and so on. Tables and figures have separate numbering sequences.

Refer to the display by its number rather than writing “the table above,” “the figure below,” or “the following chart.” Page layout can change during editing, but the table or figure number remains stable.

2. Write a Clear Table Title

Put the title on the next line below the table number. Use italics and Title Case. The title should tell the reader what the table contains without repeating an entire paragraph of context. Avoid vague titles such as “Results” or “Data.”

3. Build Headings That Explain the Columns

Every column should have a clear heading. Center headings over the information they describe unless a different alignment improves readability. The leftmost stub column normally identifies the row categories and is often left aligned. Units should be stated in headings when that prevents repeated labels inside the body.

4. Keep the Table Body Consistent

Format comparable values consistently. If a column reports the same kind of measurement, use a consistent number of decimal places unless a statistical reason requires otherwise. Align numbers so differences are easy to compare. Do not create visual precision that the underlying data do not support.

APA allows the table body to use single, 1.5, or double spacing when needed for readability, while the table number, title, and note follow the paper’s normal double-spacing convention. The APA student-paper formatting guide also notes this spacing flexibility inside table bodies.

5. Use Minimal Borders

APA tables generally use horizontal rules only where they improve organization. Avoid vertical borders and do not box every cell. A common structure uses a line at the top, a line beneath the column headings, and a line at the bottom, with additional horizontal rules only when they clarify grouped information.

APA Table Example

The example below uses fictional data and demonstrates the usual relationship among the number, title, body, and note. The goal is the structure, not the specific values.

Table 1

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Note. Fictional data created for this EssayEco formatting example.

If a real table contains statistical abbreviations, group labels, confidence intervals, significance markers, or information that is not obvious from the headings, explain those items in the notes instead of forcing every explanation into the table body.

How APA Table Notes Work

APA distinguishes three note types. Use only the notes the reader actually needs, and place them below the table.

Do not add a note merely because every table can have one. If the number, title, headings, and body are fully understandable without extra explanation, a note is optional.

How to Format an APA Figure

In APA Style, a figure is any visual display that is not a table. This includes graphs, charts, diagrams, flowcharts, maps, drawings, photographs, screenshots, and other illustrations. The same numbering and title logic used for tables applies to figures, but figures also need careful attention to the image itself.

1. Number and Title the Figure

Place the figure number above the image in bold and the italicized Title Case title on the next line. Number figures separately from tables. If a paper contains Table 1 and Figure 1, both labels are correct because each display type has its own sequence.

2. Make the Image Readable

Labels, axis titles, scale values, symbols, and annotations must remain legible at the size the figure will appear in the paper. Avoid unnecessary three-dimensional effects, decorative backgrounds, or visual clutter. The reader should be able to distinguish the important pattern without decoding a graphic-design puzzle.

If color is necessary, do not make color the only way readers can distinguish categories. Labels, line styles, symbols, or direct annotations can improve accessibility and make the figure more robust when printed in grayscale.

3. Use a Legend Only When It Helps

A legend or key identifies symbols, lines, patterns, or categories used in the image. Place it close to the information it explains and keep the wording concise. If direct labels can identify the elements more clearly than a legend, direct labels may be easier for the reader.

4. Add a Figure Note When Needed

A figure note can define abbreviations, explain special symbols, identify error bars or statistical information, or acknowledge a source. As with a table note, do not add one when the figure is fully clear without it.

APA Figure Example

The following self-created figure uses the same fictional data as Table 1. It illustrates a trend, so a figure communicates the pattern more quickly than the table, while the table remains better for retrieving the exact values.

Figure 1

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Note. Fictional data created for this EssayEco formatting example.

Placement and Callouts in the Text

Every table and figure should be mentioned in the text. Introduce the display at the point where it becomes relevant, tell the reader what to notice, and then interpret the important pattern after the display rather than leaving the visual to speak for itself.

APA permits two general placement methods: embed each table or figure in the text after it is first mentioned, or place each display on a separate page after the reference list. Follow the method required by the instructor, program, journal, or template. For ordinary student papers, embedding displays near the relevant discussion is often the easiest arrangement for readers, but course instructions control.

Numbering Tables and Figures in Appendices

Displays in appendices may use labels tied to the appendix. For example, the first table in Appendix A can be labeled Table A1 and the first figure in Appendix B can be Figure B1, depending on the paper’s appendix structure and the exact APA convention being followed. Keep appendix numbering consistent and call out the appendix display by its label.

Reproduced, Adapted, and Self-Created Displays

The source question matters as much as the visual formatting. A table or figure that you create entirely from your own data does not need a source citation simply because it is a display. A table or figure copied from another source, adapted from another source, or built from published data requires appropriate acknowledgement, but the form of acknowledgement depends on what you actually reused.

APA’s copyright and permissions guidance explains that reprinted and adapted tables, figures, graphics, and other visual material can require source credit and permission. APA also distinguishes reuse of the visual presentation from creating a new graphic from another source’s data.

When the source itself is a webpage, use how to cite a website in APA 7th edition to build the matching reference-list entry rather than treating the visual note as a substitute for a full reference.

For a journal source, the dedicated how to cite a journal article in APA 7th edition guide covers the reference-list details that sit behind an adapted or reproduced display.

If a generative-AI tool created or materially transformed the visual, use How to Cite ChatGPT and Other AI Tools in Academic Work to separate citation, disclosure, and course-policy requirements.

Do Not Confuse a Figure Note With an In-Text Citation

A source note below a reproduced or adapted table or figure does not eliminate the need for the corresponding full reference when APA requires one. Likewise, an ordinary in-text citation does not automatically supply the copyright attribution that may be needed beneath reused visual material. These parts serve different purposes.

The broader relationship among citations, references, and source attribution is explained in complete guide to academic referencing and formatting.

For a final source-list audit, use how to create an academic reference list to verify that every cited source has a matching entry and that the entry is formatted correctly.

Accessibility and Reader-Friendly Design

Good APA formatting should also reduce avoidable barriers. Use clear labels, meaningful axis titles, readable text, adequate contrast, and enough white space to separate elements. Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning. If the assignment platform supports alternative text for images, add useful alt text that communicates the figure’s purpose rather than merely repeating the title.

Tables should remain understandable when read row by row. Avoid merged cells unless they are necessary for a clear hierarchical heading, and keep labels explicit enough that a screen-reader user or a reader viewing a narrow screen can still follow the structure.

Common APA Table and Figure Mistakes

• Calling a graph “Graph 1” or an image “Image 1” instead of using the APA label Figure.
• Numbering tables and figures in one combined sequence instead of maintaining separate table and figure sequences.
• Using a vague title that does not explain what the display contains.
• Putting the table or figure into the paper without referring to it in the text.
• Writing “the table below” instead of calling the display by number.
• Boxing every table cell with vertical and horizontal gridlines.
• Using inconsistent decimal places or units within comparable table columns.
• Leaving abbreviations, significance symbols, or error bars unexplained.
• Using tiny labels that become unreadable when a figure is resized.
• Copying a published table or figure without source attribution or without checking whether permission is required.
• Repeating every table value in the surrounding paragraph instead of interpreting the main pattern.
• Using a citation generator for a source but forgetting that the visual itself may need a note or copyright attribution.

A 9-Step Workflow for APA Tables and Figures

Final APA Tables and Figures Checklist

• The display adds information more clearly than prose alone.
• The label is Table or Figure, not chart, graph, image, or illustration.
• Tables and figures are numbered separately in order of first callout.
• The number is bold and appears above the display.
• The title is italic, in Title Case, and appears beneath the number.
• Table headings and figure labels are concise and understandable.
• Table borders are limited to those needed for clarity.
• Numbers, units, decimals, abbreviations, and symbols are consistent.
• Any necessary general, specific, probability, or figure note is present.
• The text refers to the display by number and interprets its main point.
• Reused or adapted material is credited and any permission issue has been checked.
• The source behind reused material appears in the reference list when required.
• Figure text remains readable at the final display size.
• Color is not the only way categories or patterns can be distinguished.
• The final placement follows the instructor, institution, journal, or template requirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do APA tables need vertical lines?

Normally, no. Use horizontal rules only where they improve clarity and avoid boxing every cell.

Should the table title be bold?

No. The table number is bold; the table title is italicized and written in Title Case.

Is a graph a table or a figure?

A graph is a figure. APA uses “Figure” for charts, graphs, maps, photographs, drawings, diagrams, screenshots, and other non-table visual displays.

Can I put a table or figure before I mention it?

The display should be called out in the text before the reader encounters it. Place it according to the paper’s required placement method.

Do I cite my own table?

Not merely because you created it. If the table contains your own data and design, no outside-source citation is needed. If it uses published data or adapts another display, acknowledge the relevant source.

Can I use color in an APA figure?

Yes when it helps communication, but the figure should remain understandable without depending on color alone.

Do I need a note under every table or figure?

No. Add a note only when the reader needs extra explanation, statistical information, source attribution, or copyright information.

Where can I see official examples?

APA provides online sample tables and sample figures. Use the official examples when your display is more complex than a basic student table or chart.

What if my instructor’s template looks different?

For a course submission, follow intentional instructor or institutional requirements. APA rules remain the baseline, but local instructions control the submitted assignment.

Should I cite an AI-generated figure?

That depends on the tool, the required citation style, the course AI policy, and whether disclosure is required. Do not assume that adding a citation makes otherwise prohibited AI use acceptable.