Tables can serve several key functions:

• Summarize and organize a large amount of data concisely
• Illustrate key characteristics
• Compare features or points
• Provide exact values

For tables to be useful, however, they have to display information clearly; we've all seen complex tables that are impossible to follow because of poor design. As you create tables, keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Label tables clearly, and put the title at the top of the table

• Use standard measurement units and abbreviations to make the significance of the data clear

• Align numbers along the decimal point (if present) or right column margin

• Keep number simple: round off if possible, or limit to 2 decimal places

• Align prose along the left margin or the center of the column

• Use parallel structure for prose elements

• Use rules (lines) to make the data easy to read, but avoid clutter
  • Tables rarely need vertical rules (lines between columns)
  • Use spaces between rows or groups of rows to cluster data
  • Use horizontal rules to separate calculations (sums, averages, means, etc.) from the rest of the data

   

   

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Source: Lay, Mary M. et. al. Technical Communication 2nd Edition. New York: Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2000.