Effective Tables, Figures & Frequently Used Terms

Acquisition Research program

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL

Acquisition research

Handbook Series

Effective Tables, Figures &

Frequently Used Terms

1 April 2015

Disclaimer: The views represented in this report are those of the authors

and do not reflect the official policy position of the Navy, the Department

of Defense, or the Federal Government.

Acquisition Research program

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL

The information presented herein was supported by the Acquisition Research

Program of the Graduate School of Business & Public Policy at the Naval

Postgraduate School.

To request Defense Acquisition Research, please contact:

NPS Acquisition Research Program

Graduate School of Business and Public Policy

Naval Postgraduate School

555 Dyer Road, Room

Monterey, CA 93943

E-mail: [email protected]

Copies of the Acquisition Sponsored Research Reports may be printed from

the publication tab of our website

www.acquisitionresearch.net

Preface

This handbook is one of a series of four produced for the

Acquisition Research Program (ARP) at the Naval Postgraduate

School. The purpose of the ARP Handbook Series is to provide

helpful information in a user-friendly format to assist graduate

students and others in improving their research and writing skills.

The ARP Handbook Series includes the following:

• Analysis Planning Methodology: For Theses,

Joint Applied Projects, & MBA Research

Reports

• Writing Style & English Usage

• APA Citation Style (6th edition)

• Effective Tables, Figures, & Frequently Used

Terms

For additional copies, please visit the Acquisition Research

Program Office at the Graduate School of Business & Public

Policy in Ingersoll 372. The handbook series can also be

downloaded from our website (www.acquisitionresearch.net).

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Table of Contents

Acquisition Research Program Citation Style ................................ 7

A. Introduction to Tables and Figures .................................... 7

1. General Guidelines for Tables and Figures ................. 7

2. Citations for Tables and Figures .................................. 9

3. Guidelines for Effective Titles ...................................... 9

4. Tables and Figures in an Appendix ........................... 10

B. Tables ............................................................................. 11

1. Things to Remember ................................................. 11

2. Tips for Creating Effective Tables.............................. 11

C. Figures ............................................................................ 14

1. Types of Figures ....................................................... 14

2. Things to Remember ................................................. 14

3. Tips for Creating Effective Figures ............................ 14

D. Frequently Used Terms in the ARP ................................. 18

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Acquisition Research Program Citation

Style

The Acquisition Research Program (ARP) follows the

citation guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American

Psychological Association (sixth edition), known as APA. The ARP

chose APA as its citation preference when the program began in

2003 because APA is a universally recognized standard among

academic journals. The rationale behind this decision was that by

citing ARP research in a consistent format, editorial resourcing

and adaption for specific journal requirements would be more

efficient. This release of the Effective Tables, Figures, &

Frequently Used Terms handbook summarizes the guidelines

found in APA’s sixth edition manual, as well as some minor

adaptations for ARP-sponsored reports, and provides examples of

effective tables and figures. This handbook also includes an

updated list of the ARP’s frequently used terms.

For more detailed information on creating and formatting

effective tables and figures, including numerous examples, see

pages 125–167 of the APA Publication Manual.

A. Introduction to Tables and Figures

The purpose of tables and figures is to allow researchers

to present a large amount of information in an efficient way and to

provide data that is clearer and more understandable than is

possible in the text alone. Tables typically display numerical

values or textual information organized into columns and rows.

The category of figures includes charts, graphs, photographs, and

any kind of illustrations or graphics that are not tables.

Keep in mind that some information is better

communicated in text than in tables or figures. Too many tables

and figures can be overwhelming to readers and may break up the

flow of the text.

1. General Guidelines for Tables and Figures

• Label tables and figures correctly: If data is

arranged in columns and rows, label as a table.

If the presentation does not include columns

and rows, label as a figure.

• Tables and figures should be integral to the

text, but they should be designed so that they

can be understood in isolation.

• Check tables and figures carefully for grammar,

spelling, and capitalization errors because

editors may not be able to modify tables and

figures that have been created using software

other than Microsoft Word.

• Each table and figure should be referenced in

the text. Insert references to tables and figures

before their placement in the paper (e.g., “see

Figure 3”).

• Do not use the words above and below to refer

to tables or figures in the text (e.g., “The table

below shows that…” or “The information above

provides …”). Use table or figure numbers in

place of such references.

• When referencing tables or figures in the text,

write out table or figure, capitalized, and include

the number. No capitalization is necessary if

referring to tables or figures in general.

Correct:

(see Figure 1)

Table 2 provides a comparison.

The researchers’ data was presented in a table.

Incorrect:

(see Fig. 1)

Figure 3b

As shown in table 2, …

• Use notes placed beneath the table or figure to

define abbreviations or to provide other

information that is too lengthy to include in the

title or in the table or figure.

2. Citations for Tables and Figures

• Tables and figures taken from other sources

must include citations with corresponding

entries in the reference list. The format of the

citation is the same as an in-text citation.

(Author, Year, p. #)

• If you modify a table or figure from another

source, you must still cite the source. Indicate

that you have modified the table or figure by

inserting a citation like this:

(Adapted from Author, Year, p. #)

Another option is to use a note to explain that

you modified the table or figure (see Figure 3).

A note allows you to include further details

regarding the modifications, if necessary.

• If you create a table or figure yourself, no

citation is necessary unless it was included in a

previously published work.

3. Guidelines for Effective Titles

• Titles of tables and figures should be brief but

specific.

Too general:

Analysis

The guidelines listed in this section for citing sources for tables

and figures are specific to the ARP. The Thesis Processing

Office has a slightly different approach for formatting table and

figure citations.

Too detailed:

Analysis of Experiment 1 Results Collected in

2002, 2003, 2004 (Similar to Results of

Experiment 2)

Good title:

Analysis of Experiment 1 Results

• Avoid abbreviations in the titles of tables and

figures unless they are very common ones that

will be familiar to readers (e.g., DoD, 3-D,

CEO). Write out a full term in the title if its

abbreviation is not very common.

• The lowercase abbreviation vs. may be used in

a table or figure title or heading, or in the table

or figure itself.

• Table/figure titles should be in title case

(capitalize all proper nouns, pronouns, and

verbs and all words of four letters or more).

• Extra information that is relevant to the table or

figure should be formatted as a note that is

placed below the table or figure (not a footnote

at the bottom of the page). Avoid lengthy titles

and parentheses in the titles by moving some

information to a note. See Table 1, Figure 1,

and Figure 3 in this handbook for examples of

notes.

4. Tables and Figures in an Appendix

• In a report with just one appendix, the appendix

is simply labeled Appendix, followed by a title.

In a report with more than one appendix, the

appendices are labeled with letters (i.e.,

Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.), followed by

titles.

• If an appendix contains only one table or figure

and no body text, the table or figure does not

need to be labeled because the appendix title

serves as the label.

• If multiple tables/figures are included in an

appendix, or if body text is used to introduce

and describe a table/figure within the appendix,

label each table/figure in the appendix. The

table or figure number is preceded by the letter

of the appendix in which it appears. For

example, the following labels could be assigned

to the tables and figures in a report’s appendix:

Table A1, Table A2, Figure A1, Figure A2,

Table B1, Table B2, Figure B1, Figure B2,

Table C1, Table C2, etc.

B. Tables

1. Things to Remember

• Limit the content of your tables to essential

information.

• Tables should be integral to the text, but should

be designed so that they can be understood in

isolation.

• Table layout should be logical and easily

grasped by the reader.

2. Tips for Creating Effective Tables

• Use Word to create tables because this will

reduce the chance of formatting problems later.

• Make tables that present the same type of data

look the same throughout the report.

• Label tables with brief but informative titles.

• Place items in a table that you want to compare

next to each other.

• Make sure that all labels in a table are clearly

placed next to whatever they are labeling.

• Every column should have a brief heading.

• Organize the layout of a table so that the most

important data has the most prominent location.

• Use standard table formats so that a reader

doesn’t have to work to understand how the

information in your table is organized.

• A table should augment the text but not

duplicate it.

• Only use a table when a visual presentation of

the information would more clearly

communicate it to the reader than writing it out

would.

• Items within the same columns should be

parallel to each other.

Nonparallel:

Parallel:

Stages Stages

Project design

Identifying the

requirement

Requirement

identification

Completes

evaluation

Evaluation

• Do not clutter tables with extra information.

Keep them concise.

column spanner:

heading that

identifies data in

two or more

columns beneath it

Table 1 is an example of an effective table. The shaded

boxes provide explanations pointing to the important elements of

the table.

Table 1. Government Spending by Sector, 1977 and 2010

(In Millions US$)

(International Budget Organization [IBO], 2011, p. 214)

Defense Education Health

Nation 1977 2010 1977 2010 1977 2010

Nation A 16.4 22.2 9.7 13.6 6.2 4.8

Nation B 5.6 38.8 15.6 15.8 7.4 11.1

Nation C 48.1 32.1 8.1 15.8 24.5

Nation D 19.9 38.2 50.1 36.4 52.8

Nation E 27.4 15.4 17.3 4.8 82.1 134.9

Note. Blank cells indicate that data was not available. The source named in this

citation is fictitious.

column head:

heading that identifies

data in the single

column beneath it

table note: note beneath the table that provides

additional information such as definitions of

abbreviations, probability notes, explanations for

unusual or missing data, etc.

table title: brief,

descriptive title written in

title case (i.e., capitalize all

major words, verbs,

pronouns, words of four

letters or more, and words

following hyphens in

compound words)

table citation:

includes author, year

of publication, and

page number for

source of table (no

citation needed if you

created the table

yourself)

C. Figures

1. Types of Figures

The following are the most common types of figures

included in reports:

• Graphs: display relationships (think x & y)

• Charts: display nonquantitative information

• Maps: display spatial information

• Drawings: show information pictorially

• Photographs: provide direct visual

representation

2. Things to Remember

• Figures should be simple and clear and should

add value to the information presented in the

paper.

• Figures should have lines that are smooth and

sharp as well as typeface that is simple and

legible.

• Axes and elements within figures should be

labeled and units of measurement should be

provided.

• Figure legends should give sufficient

information to understand the figure’s content.

3. Tips for Creating Effective Figures

• A figure should augment the text, not duplicate

it.

• Only include relevant information and graphics

in a figure. Don’t clutter the paper with figures

that look nice but don’t provide useful

information.

• Make sure all elements of a figure are easy to

read (use a legible font size) and that none of

the elements are blurry (use a high resolution).

• The purpose and message of a figure should be

quickly identifiable.

• All comparable figures in the document should

have a consistent presentation.

• Clearly label all elements of a figure.

• Make your capitalization of terms consistent

throughout the figure.

Inconsistently capitalized terms:

o Materiel Solution Analysis

o Technology development

o Pre-systems Acquisition

Consistently capitalized terms:

o Materiel solution analysis

o Technology development

o Pre-systems acquisition

• The figure title should be descriptive of the

content of the figure.

• Do not overuse figures in the paper (apply the

rule of less is more).

Figures 1–3 are examples of effective figures.

Figure 1. Annual Distribution of Research Proposals by

Institution Type, 2007–2013

(Shaffer & Snider, 2014)

Note. Defense universities include NPS, Air Force Institute of

Technology, Air Force Academy, DAU, Defense Academy of Cranfield

University, and Bundeswehr University Munich.

Figure 2. Cumulative Mission Capability for the Indian

Ocean Tsunami

(Yoho, Greenfield, & Ingram, 2013)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Number of Proposals

Proposal Year

University

Defense

Profit

Nonprofit

100

110

Day of Disaster Response

Cumulative Mission Capability

Critical supplies

Transportation & rescue

Medical & palliative

Figure 3. An End-to-End Validation & Verification

Process

Note. We created this chart by modifying the original from Bonine,

Shing, and Otani (2013).

D. Frequently Used Terms in the ARP

This list is a guide for spelling words and terms that

commonly appear in Acquisition Research Program (ARP)

publications, including specific business and military terms. This

list is not intended to be exhaustive. For a more comprehensive

list, see the DAU Glossary: Defense Acquisition Acronyms and

Terms (14th edition), which can be accessed from the DAU’s

website (https://dap.dau.mil/glossary/Pages/Default.aspx). For

non-military terms, consult the Merriam-Webster online dictionary

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Numbers

century

9/11 (for September 11, 2001)

administration (e.g., the Obama administration)

air defense missile system

armed forces (lowercase when used generally, but capitalize

U.S. Armed Forces)

baseline

benchmark [n, v]

best practice [adj] (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

best value (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

best-in-class

Better Buying Power memorandums or Better Buying Power

initiatives (used generally)

Better Buying Power 2.0 (title of a specific memo)

boardroom

bottom line

business case

business-sensitive [adj]

buy [n]

buy-in [n]

capability maturity (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

CD-ROM

cell phone

CEO (chief executive officer; does not need to be spelled out)

Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM)

CFO (chief financial officer; does not need to be spelled out)

C.F.R. (but Code of Federal Regulations when written out)

chair (not -man/-woman/-person)

chat room

civil servants

class (Virginia class of submarines, not Virginia Class of

submarines; hyphenate as an adj.)

color-coded

command and control

commercial

commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)

conflict of interest

Contract Administration (capitalize only when used to name

the process in the CMMM)

contract award (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

Contract Closeout (capitalize only when used to name the

process in the CMMM)

contract management (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

contracted out (contracting out)

contracted support

corporate-level [adj]

cost–benefit (use an en dash, not a hyphen)

cost effective

cost-effective [adj]

cost estimate

cost-estimate [adj]

cost-estimating

cost growth

cost saving [n]

cost-saving [adj]

coworker

CPO (chief purchasing officer; does not need to be spelled

out)

cycle-time

database

DAU (Defense Acquisition University)

decision-makers; decision-making

DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement)

DOD (Department of Defense)

DoN (Department of the Navy)

downtime

e-auction, e-mail, e-commerce, e-procurement, e-tool, etc.

earned value management

economies of scale

end-to-end

end user [n, adj]

ERP (enterprise resource planning)

FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation)

Fed. Reg. (but Federal Register when written out)

fiscal year (FY)

fishbone chart

fixed-price contract

flow path

follow-up [n]

Fortune 500 and Fortune 1,000

forward deployed (not hyphenated as an adj.)

forward operating base

F test

Gansler Commission report, Gansler report (official title of

report is Urgent Reform Required: Army Expeditionary

Contracting)

GAO (General Accounting Office—before July 7, 2004)

GAO (Government Accountability Office—after July 7, 2004)

Global War on Terror (also War on Terror, Global War on

Terrorism)

handheld [n, adj]

hard copy

hazmat

health care

High-Risk List (title of an official list)

High-Risk Series (document title)

homepage (generic—use website instead)

hotspot

HR (human resources; does not need to be spelled out)

industry

industrywide (also nationwide, companywide, etc.)

Internet

intranet

IT (information technology; don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

Joint (capitalize as a proper noun, but lowercase when used

generally; e.g., “the Joint Staff determined” but “the

operation will require joint forces”)

just-in-time (JIT)

keynote

key performance indicator (KPI)

key performance parameter (KPP)

key process area

key system attribute (KSA)

keyword (technology)

knowledge management (KM; don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

knowledge value-added

lead time

leading-edge [adj]

lean (can be used alone as a noun; also lean management,

lean purchasing, lean practices, etc.)

Lean Six Sigma

Level I, II, III, etc. (when used in reference to Defense

Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act [DAWIA]

certification; do not capitalize unless used with a specific

level number)

life cycle

life-cycle costing

life-cycle procurement

long term [n]

long-term [adj]

low risk [n]

low-risk [adj]

lower priority

major defense acquisition program (MDAP)

material (matter from which something is made)

materiel (equipment or supplies)

mergers & acquisitions (M&A)

mission-essential [adj]

modeling & simulation (M&S)

multicultural

national security strategy (when used generally)

National Security Strategy (when referring to the title of a

document)

naval

Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

nearshore; nearshoring

Net-centric system (Network-centric system)

non-mission-capable (when used as a modifier)

non-value-added

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

offline

offshore; offshoring

off-site [adj, adv]

onboard

online

on-site [adj, adv]

open architecture

open system

Operation Desert Storm

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)

operating level

original equipment manufacturer (OEM)

performance-based

policy-maker

pretest

private sector [n]

private-sector [adj]

proactive

process capability maturity models

process improvement (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

process integrity

Procurement Planning (capitalize only when used to name the

process in the CMMM)

procurement process (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

procurement-sensitive [adj]

Program Executive Office (PEO)

program management

project management

public sector [n]

public-sector [adj]

purchase order (PO)

p value

Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)

radio frequency identification (RFID)

real GDP

real-time

request for information (RFX)

request for proposal (RFP)

request for quote (RFQ)

research and development (R&D)

retake

return on investment (ROI)

risk analysis (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

road map

roll-out [n]

run-time

service, services (in reference to branches of military)

set covering (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

shortcut

single sourcing

Six Sigma

skill set

sole-source contract

Solicitation (capitalize only when used to name the process in

the CMMM)

Solicitation Planning (capitalize only when used to name the

process in the CMMM)

source evaluation

source selection [n] (capitalize when used to name the

process in the CMMM)

source selection process

spend [n] (the company’s annual spend, business spend)

statement of work (SOW)

strategic sourcing (don’t hyphenate as a modifier)

stock out [v]

stockout [n]

subsystem

supply chain management (SCM)

system of systems (hyphenate as a modifier)

takeaway [adj]

third-party logistics (3PL)

third-party network (services, etc.)

time frame

time line

time-to-market

title (used generally, in reference to sections of U.S.C.)

Title (used specifically, e.g., Title 10)

toolkit

top line

Total Quality Management (TQM)

trade-off

Ts & Cs (for terms and conditions; ampersand required)

t test

under secretary of defense (under secretary is two words;

capitalize only when the title immediately precedes a

name)

United States (when used as a noun, e.g., stationed in the

United States)

U.S. (when used as modifier, e.g., U.S. policies)

U.S.C. (but U.S. Code and United States Code when written

out)

username

value-added

War on Terror (also known as Global War on Terror, Global

War on Terrorism)

warfighter

waybill

web

webcast

website (preferred over home page)

widescale

workday

workflow

worklife

worldwide

X Y Z

Notes

Acquisition research Program

Graduate school of business & public policy

Naval postgraduate school

555 DYER ROAD, INGERSOLL HALL

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA 93943