Design of tables for the presentation and communication of data in ecological and evolutionary biology

Tables and charts have long been seen as effective ways to convey data.
Much attention has been focused on improving charts, following ideas of
human perception and brain function. Tables can also be viewed as
two-dimensional representations of data, yet it is only fairly recently
that we have begun to apply principles of design that aid the
communication of information between the author and reader. In this study,
we collated guidelines for the design of data and statistical tables.
These guidelines fall under three principles: aiding comparisons, reducing
visual clutter, and increasing readability. We surveyed tables published
in recent issues of 43 journals in the fields of ecology and evolutionary
biology for their adherence to these three principles, as well as author
guidelines on journal publisher websites. We found that most of the over
1,000 tables we sampled had no heavy grid lines and little visual clutter.
They were also easy to read, with clear headers and horizontal
orientation. However, most tables did not aid the vertical comparison of
numeric data. We suggest that authors could improve their tables by the
right-flush alignment of numeric columns typeset with a tabular font,
clearly identify statistical significance, and use clear titles and
captions. Journal publishers could easily implement these formatting
guidelines when typesetting manuscripts.