ACAP Learning Resources: Reference in APA 7: Tables &amp; Figures

Tables & Figures

Tables and figures are comprised of the following four main elements. Place each element in the order shown in the table below.

If you have reprinted or adapted an image, figure or table (see figure 2 below), the copyright attribution is used instead of an in-text citation. The copyright attribution consists of the same elements as the reference list entry, but in a different order (title, author, date, publisher (website name), DOI/URL. Copyright statement.). Corresponding reference list entries should be listed according to type (book, journal article, etc.).

If you are publishing a paper (e.g. your thesis is being published in the library catalogue) you will need to seek permission for from the copyright holder to include their images. Most sites will have an online request form or use this letter template to seek permission from the copyright owner: Permission Request Template. The statement, Reprinted with permission [or Adapted with permission] should then be included at the end of the note.

If you have taken information from a source or multiple sources and collated it into a tabular format of your own design (see tables 2 and 3 below), use a standard in-text citation format in the note field (Author, date, page number). For example, Note. From [or Adapted from/Data in column 1 are from] Dumile & Jackson, 2015, p. 31. Use the standard formatting in your reference list for this entry.

Refer to Sections 7.21 & 7.36 of the Publication Manual for detailed explanations of table and figure elements and to see specific examples. More examples, setup and formatting also available from APA Style Grammar & Guidelines.

Refer to the Artwork & Images page in this guide for information about citing stock images, clipart, artworks, and images from other sources like websites.

In presentations (posters, booklets, factsheets, PechaKuchas), the figure number and title are optional but the note containing the copyright attribution is required. Again refer to the Artwork & Images for more information and examples.

Element	Description
1. Table or Figure Number	Number each table and figure in order. Align each number left and in bold font. Figure 1 Table 1 Table 2 Figure 2
2. Table or Figure Title	Under the number element, provide a clear and concise title. Titles are aligned left, double-spaced, capitalised, and in italics. Strict Dual Process Model of Learning Main Characteristics of Studies Examining the Relationship Between Chronotype and Psychiatric Severity, Sorted by Mood Disorder
3. Table Body or Figure Image	The table body consists of column headings and cells containing the data. Use only horizontal lines to define rows. Present data in standard font. See below for examples. Figure images consist of images containing data and legends explaining or defining the elements within the image. See below for examples.
4. Table or Figure Notes	Notes explain the data in more detail and appear below the table or figure in the following order: 1. general note (e.g. definitions of abbreviations); 2. specific note (e.g. copyright attribution or in-text citation); and 3. probability note (e.g. explanations of asterisks use to indicate p values). Type the word "Note." in italics followed by the note text. In-text citation if you have compiled your own tables from other sources (see tables 2 & 3) In the caption below the figure add the word Note: (in italics). Add any descriptive notes about the table (if required). Add the word From [or Adapted from/Data in column # are from] Add the author(s), date and page number(s), e.g. Note. From [or Adapted from/Data in column 1 are from] Dumile & Jackson, 2015, p. 31. Copyright attributions if you have reprinted or adapted an image (see Figure 2) In the caption below the figure add the word Note: (in italics). Add any descriptive notes about the table (if required). Add the word From if the image is an exact copy or use Adapted from if the image was altered. E.g. Note. From [or Adapted from] Title of work by authors, date, source details. Copyright Statement. Add the citation in the format - Title, by author, from source details Add the copyright statement. This could be one of the following: Copyright year by copyright holder. Copyright holders are usually the authors (open access copyright) or publishers (traditional copyright). In the public domain - e.g. copyright expired or no copyright applies e.g. Government works Creative Commons licence - e.g. CC BY-NC-ND. If copyright permission has been given to use the image, include Reprinted [or Adapted] with permission after the copyright statement.

Examples

Table 1

Title of Table in Italics

Heading 1	Heading 2	Heading 3
Cell Content	Cell Content	Cell Content
Cell Content	Cell Content	Cell Content
Cell Content	Cell Content	Cell Content
Total	Total	Total

Note. Note text in normal font.

Figure 1

Title of Figure in Italics

Note. Note text in normal font.

Figure 2

Brain Lateralisation

Note. From Life span human development (4th Aust. & NZ ed., p. 170), by C. K. Sigelman, L. De George, K. Cunial, E. A. Rider, M. Kholer, and N. Ballam, 2022, Cengage Learning Australia. Copyright 2022 by Cengage Learning.

[If you have changed the image in any way use 'Adapted from' to begin the note text. For more examples, see the Artwork & Images page in this guide.]

Table 2

Summary of Studies Included in Meta-Analysis on the Effectiveness of Rocking Out Like No One’s Watching ( ROLNOW ).

Study	N	Cohen’s d	SD
Atashin (2013)	384	0.86	0.63
Dumile & Jackson (2015)	176	1.21	0.95
Garcia et al. (2014)	231	0.72	0.64
Iyer et al. (2014)	406	1.14	0.97
Onuki et al. (2014)	127	0.63	0.41

[Above, the in-text citations are included inside the table so a note is not required. All citations listed will appear in the reference list.]

Table 3

Sample Responses to the ROLNOW Survey

Variable	Question	Sample responses
Coolness	How cool did you feel?	“Cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce.”^a “Not at all cool. I actually felt kind of dorky.”^b
Motivation/energy	How motivated and energized did you feel?	“I felt ready to take on the world!”^c “Not very. I almost fell asleep!”^b
Happiness	How happy were you?	“I was completely elated and filled with positive thoughts!”^d “I was pretty happy, but I don’t think rocking out had anything to do with it.”^a
Attractiveness	How physically attractive did you feel?	“I felt pretty, oh so pretty!”^e “I was a gyrating mess of flailing limbs, so I probably didn’t look all that attractive.”^c

Note. From aDumile & Jackson, 2015, p. 31; bIyer et al., 2014, p. 79; cOnuki et al., 2014, p. 101; dGarcia et al., 2014, p. 47; eAtashin, 2013, p. 56.