Hi, I wondered if a table or chart is really important, is it ok to put it right in the text or every single table and chart is supposed to be in appendix? Thanks!
There is really no "right" way to decide whether or not you put them in the work or an an appendix. What needs to be your most important consideration is what would be the most aid to a reader.
If you only have a couple of tables, I would probably put them into the body of the text. If you have 40, and you're talking about them one at a time, I would probably put them in an appendix.
Be sure to talk about what is important about the table after you introduce it. Don't leave it there for your reader to figure out on their own. You don't have to mention everything, just the important details.
Ask yourself as well - does the table need to be there at all? Just because you have a table that shows that 76 percent of your respondents were male, and 24 percent were female, doesn't mean you have to use it. It would be better just to write it out.
Remember to clearly label a table - TABLE 1, TABLE 2, TABLE 3. Use numbers, not letters. Letters are reserved for the appendixes.
Here is an example. Sorry the formatting for the table is messed up, but you should get the idea:
A majority of journalists (63.7%) cited the amount of freedom they have at work as a very important aspect of their job. Those that did were also much more likely to describe themselves as very satisfied with their job (χ2=22.22, d.f.=9, p<.00).
The chance to learn new things/skills (44.9%) and the time flexibility of their job (43.3%) were also cited as very important. The fringe benefits of the job (24.7%) and the opportunities for advancement (24.2%) were the two most-mentioned characteristics of their work considered not really important (see Table 1).
TABLE 1
How Important Are These Aspects Of Your Current Job To You? (n=227)
Topic Very Important Quite Important Somewhat Important Not Really Important No Opinion
Salary Level 30.8% 54.6% 11.9% 2.6% .0%
Job Security 32.3% 45.1% 16.4% 5.3% .9%
Editorial Policies of Organization 37.3% 49.3% 9.8% 3.1% .4%
Amount of Freedom at Work 63.7% 33.6% 2.2% .4% .0%
Opportunities for Advancement 18.1% 28.2% 27.8% 24.2% 1.8%
A Sense of Identity 41.9% 37.0% 14.1% 6.6% .4%
A Chance to Develop A Specialty 20.8% 38.9% 23.9% 14.2% 2.2%
The Chance to Help People 30.8% 44.1% 18.1% 4.8% 2.2%
The Fringe Benefits of the Job 13.2% 25.6% 32.6% 24.7% 4.0%
The Chance to Learn New Things/Skills 44.9% 40.5% 11.9% 2.2% .4%
The Chance to Influence the Public 19.9% 43.8% 23.5% 11.1% 1.8%
The Time Flexibility of the Job 43.4% 32.7% 15.0% 7.1% 1.8%
