Editing Tables
Some quick things to keep in mind while editing tables.
- Ensure that the inferences in the text match the data in the table
- Mention the table in the paragraph under which it occurs
- Make sure it has a title and a source
- Try to make the source as specific as possible
- If there are multiple tables, format the titles and sources consistently (same font, bold/italics, etc)
- Make sure table titles are capitalized consistently
- Capitalise header row consistently
- Don’t capitalize the first column
- If the “total” row or any other row is bold, be consistent across all tables
- Make sure that the table numbers are formatted correctly (with a full-stop, colon, roman numerals, number order, etc)
- Make sure all tables are numbered sequentially
- Make sure all the table borders are formatted consistently across tables
- Look out for additional notations (asterisk, for example) and check if it has been explained in the notes
- If there are any abbreviations not mentioned immediately before in the text, explain them in the notes
- Make sure all the numbers have the same number of decimal points
- Check if use of comma separators is consistent
- Right align numbers if possible so that the units line up
- Glance through the numbers to make sure nothing looks too weird
- Roughly check if the total adds up
- If data is unavailable, put in a dash instead of leaving the cell blank
- If there is a unit, include it in the header row, instead of repeating it in every cell
- If the numbers are in a particular unit, mention it in the header row
- Try to be consistent with the lakh-crore system or million-billion system across tables
- Be consistent with currencies across tables
- If a notation indicates a significant value, check if the value is indeed significant according to study parameters
- If one heading is meant for two columns, merge the cells
- If the data is for specific years, mention it in the title
