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APA Style (6th ed)

Tables & Figures

NOTE: This page reflects the old version of the APA Publication Manual (6th ed). If you require the current version, please see APA Style (7th ed)

The Basics

The APA Manual focuses more on how to display one's own original research findings in a table than on citing data from multiple sources within a table. When using data from other sources, please note that:

  • You should directly refer to the table or figure, discussing it's meaning and purpose, in the text of your paper.
  • A copyright statement for the source (or multiple sources) are made in the NOTE section, directly under the table or figure.
  • A Reference List entry is still required for all data sources mentioned in text.

Also see the Images section of this guide for recommendations specific to displaying images.

Examples

 

In-text

Reference List

Image of an existing table or graph

See more examples and guidelines for the copyright statement

Image result for table post-secondary

Figure 1. Education indicators for post-secondary education. From "Education and Skills", by How Canada Performs, 2014.

How Canada Performs. (2014). Education and Skills. Retrieved from https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1.

From data collected from multiple sources*

See more examples and guidelines for citing multiple sources in a table

Table 1

Decline in Plagiarism Offenses at Sheridan College

Year Student
Population		 Plagiarism
Offenses
2010 14,000 600a
2015 17,000 489b
aSheridan College (2014). bSheridan College (2018).

Sheridan College. (2014). A report on plagiarism offenses. Retrieved from http://www.sheridancollege.ca

Sheridan College. (2018). Another report on plagiarism offenses. Retrieved from http://sheridancollege.ca

From your own original data*

Table 2

Student Satisfaction with Sheridan Student Services

Level of Satisfaction Responses
Very Satisfied 85%a
Somewhat Satisfied 15%
Dissatisfied 0%
Note: Collected over a period of one year, from 12,000 respondents. Half of all respondents were in their first year.
a90% of first year students indicated they were very satisfied with Sheridan's Student Services.

Since no published sources were used in this table, no reference list entry is required.

*Information within this row is fabricated and for demonstration purposes, only.


See the Publication Manual: Chapter 5: Displaying Results

Your professor may have different citing expectations than library staff. Always check at the beginning of term and before starting assignments that the citing rules you are using are appropriate for your class.

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