Research Guides: APA 7th edition: Graphs, Tables & Data

Graphs & Tables

When using graphs or tables from a published source in your assignment or PowerPoint for a class presentation, include the following:

The word Figure followed by an Arabic number in bold.
Create a brief descriptive title in italics. All titles should use title case (all major words capitalized).
The graph or table.
Beneath the image the word Note in italics, follow by a period. Add a brief note if your graph or table needs an explanation to help the reader understand the information presented.
After the explanatory note, add the word Source, colon, parenthesis, Creator name, year of creation, page number, closed parenthesis, full stop. The format for this is as follows:

Note. Explanatory note. Source: (creator, year, p.x).
Create a reference for the source you found the graph or table in. Include this at the end of your paper or presentation.

Graph example

Figure 1

Academic Librarian Full and Part-Time Employment, 2018

Note. Source: (Revitt et al., 2019, p. 30).

This graph was published in a report, so the format for Report, Individual author was used to create a reference entry:

Revitt, J., Magnus, E., Schrader, A., & Wright, J. (2019). 2018 census of Canadian academic librarians user guide and results summary. Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians. https://capalibrarians.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2018_Census_March_24_2019.pdf

Table example

Animal Preferences by Number of Responses

Note. Source: (Smith, 2018, p. 6)

Create a reference for the source. This table was published in a journal article, so the format for Journal article with a DOI has been used:

Smith, J. (2018). A study of favourite animals. Animal Journal, 3(1), 4-16. https://doi.org/10.xxxxx/xxx/xx

Refer to figures in text by their number (Figure 1 or Figure 2), not as "the figure below" or "the figure above".

Data & Statistics

If you are just referring to data and statistics in an existing publication, create a citation for the source you found them in.

Format

Author, A. (Year). Title in italics [Description in brackets]. Publisher. DOI or URL

Example

City of Edmonton. (2021). Average monthly residential water consumption by neighbourhood 2016 - map view [Interactive map]. City of Edmonton Open Data Portal. https://data.edmonton.ca/d/b7bj-t9wu

Statistics Canada. (2017). Volatile organic compound levels measured in household air (13-10-0105-01) [Table]. https://doi.org/10.25318/1310010501-eng

Provide a retrieval date at the end of the reference if the information is likely to change over time

Data sets

If you use a data set to conduct your own statistical analysis, or create a graph or chart that you include in your paper, create a reference for that data set specifically.
Follow the same formatting guidelines outlined in the Graphs & Tables section above

Format

Author, A. (Year). Title in italics (Numerical identifier and version) [Data set]. Publisher. DOI or URL

Figure 3

Presence of Sleep Disorders by Gender

Note. Sleep disorders according to gender as determined by a formal diagnosis from a medical professional, and not by interpreting the sleep duration and sleep quality data. Source: (Tharmalingam, 2023).

Reference entry:

Tharmalingam, L. (2023). Sleep health and lifestyle dataset (Version 2) [Data set]. Kaggle. https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/uom190346a/sleep-health-and-lifestyle-dataset

Programming packages

Include code, data and documentation that enables users to carry out specific functions
Check the support documentation for instructions on how to get a full citation for the packages you use.
- Get the citation for an R package by following these instructions for Citing R

Format:

Author, A. (Year). Name of package in italics (version number) [Description in brackets]. Publisher. DOI or URL

Figure 4

Descriptive title in italics

Note. Source: (Müller, 2020).

Reference entry:

Müller, K. (2020). _here: A simpler way to find your files_(version 1.0.1) [R package]. The Comprehensive R Archive Network. https://cran.r-project.org/package=here

As noted above, the direction from NorQuest Library is meant for class assignments or presentations.

For works that will be shared widely and professionally, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for information on copyright attribution (12.14-12.15).

The graph and table examples are adapted from the MacEwan University APA Citation guide under a CC BY-NC license.

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