Transcript Bureau of Justice Statistics Types of tables

Data Presentation
A guide to good tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Marianne W. Zawitz
Use tables, when you need  to present 10 or fewer data points
 to find exact numeric values
 to make localized comparisons
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Tables have an architecture
 Use the structure of the table to
reinforce its purpose
 Take advantage of how we learned
to do math
Bureau of Justice Statistics
327 483 123 42
327
483
123
42
7
18
Bureau of Justice Statistics
7 18
XXXX
XXX
XX
X
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Types of tables Exploratory tables
Resource tables
Presentation tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Example of an exploratory table
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
12 and
under
6.7
6.7
7.2
6.8
7.5
7.4
8.2
7.2
7.2
9.3
9.5
8.9
12.7
13.9
13-14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
122
126.3
138.4
128.5
130.8
141.2
165.6
166.9
163.5
180.1
206.5
221.2
280.6
316.5
236
251
262.5
266.6
245.5
267.1
302.9
297.3
295.8
343.9
391.8
416.7
518.4
559
326.4
319.4
339.7
336.9
316.3
336.5
374.6
388.7
368.8
435.5
531.7
553.9
669.7
724.1
404
400.8
406
420.9
393.4
414.8
444.3
476.4
458.4
541.2
640.2
661.8
775.1
802.9
472.1
457.5
460.9
471.6
433.2
468.7
501.2
560.5
548.3
634.8
704.8
756.3
886.6
920.1
425
429.9
450.5
465.8
413.4
433.6
469.5
508.9
516.1
558.5
638
632.3
725.2
777.6
400.9
399.6
407
443.5
393.6
392.4
418.9
484.3
469.8
509.9
541.9
546.5
601.9
651.5
403.9
407.4
410.9
432.1
399.8
410
415
468.6
474
497.1
543.2
521.4
591.4
610.8
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Resource table
State
Number of
agencies
Full-time
employees
Full-time
sworn officers
All States
18,769
921,978
663,535
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
432
69
130
360
524
14,389
1,884
16,828
7,958
103,967
9,767
1,254
10,088
5,819
69,134
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
247
129
45
3
385
14,002
10,319
2,134
4,651
60,808
9,896
8,525
1,660
3,909
37,395
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Presentation table
Homicides of children under age 5
Relationship
with child
Father
Acquaintance
Mother
Other family
Stranger
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Percent of
perpetrators
32%
30
28
6
4
Tables should - Show the data
 Reduce nondata ink
 Avoid puzzles
 Create a logical visual pattern
 Use the same standards for verbal
elements we use in graphics
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Excess lines and marks make
the data hard to see
State
Full-time
employees
Number of
agencies
Full-time
sworn officers
All States ...................
18,769
921,978
663,535
Alabama ....................
Alaska ........................
Arizona ......................
Arkansas ...................
California ...................
432
69
130
360
524
14,389
1,884
16,828
7,958
103,967
9,767
1,254
10,088
5,819
69,134
Colorado ....................
Connecticut ...............
Delaware ....................
District of Columbia .
Florida .......................
247
129
45
3
385
14,002
10,319
2,134
4,651
60,808
9,896
8,525
1,660
3,909
37,395
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Order the content according to
how the data will be used
 Presentation tables use rank order
or another hierarchy
-- Look to the numbers to carry out
the ordering
 Resource tables use alphabetical
or reference order
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Structure the table to - make patterns and exceptions
obvious at a glance
 place numbers that are to be
compared close to one another
(in a column is best)
 place summary data where it will
be most useful
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Avoid tables with many empty cells
State
Number
admitted
Number
executed
Number
removed
All States
--
--
--
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
------
------
------
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
------
------
------
Bureau of Justice Statistics
-- see page 27.
Rows should - have consistent labeling from
table to table
 indent the labels to show
subdivisions (nesting)
 create patterns with a line or half
line skip every fifth entry in long
lists
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Columns should - contain the same unit of measure
 have labels that clearly identify
what is measured (both numerator
and denominator for rates)
 avoid repetitious categories by
spacing and grouping
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Make all verbal tasks easy to
understand
 Do not use abbreviations
 Avoid acronyms
 Write all labels left to right
 Use proper grammar
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Notation should - be placed in the row labels and
column headers if possible (otherwise
they interfere with our ability to see
the data)
 not be numeric characters so they
are not confused with the numbers
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Table titles should - briefly describe the data presented
 highlight the difference between this
table and others in the first words
 be long enough to inform but short
enough not to bore
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