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← 📊 Descriptive Statistics

Tables

4 min

A good table lets a reader find the answer in seconds. In research papers, "Table 1" usually describes the participants.

Why it matters

Readers often look at tables before reading the text. A messy table loses them.

Key ideas

  • One table, one message
  • Clear title, units and n
  • Put what is compared side by side
  • Few decimals (usually 1–2)
  • Percentages with counts
  • No vertical clutter

Real-life research example

Table 1 of a trial: rows are age, sex, BMI; columns are Treatment and Control, each showing mean (SD) or n (%).

When to use

  • Describe participants, compare groups, report model results

When NOT to use

  • Don't paste raw software output
  • Don't show 6 decimals

Mini example

Variable | Group A (n = 40) | Group B (n = 38)
Age, mean (SD) | 34.2 (8.1) | 35.0 (7.6)
Female, n (%) | 22 (55.0) | 19 (50.0)

Quick takeaway

A good table is clear, short, and has n and units.

Try it yourself

Paste a list of categories. Check that the frequency table includes counts and percentages with the total, as a paper's table should.

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