How to Format Tables and Figures in APA 7

Tables and figures are where most students give up on APA 7 format entirely. The rules are specific, the layout is different from body text, and figuring out how to format APA 7 in Word for tables alone can take hours. But properly formatted tables and figures signal attention to detail and make your data easier to read.

Here's exactly how APA 7 format handles them — with APA 7 format examples for every element.

Tables vs Figures: What's the Difference?

In APA 7, a table presents numerical data or text in rows and columns. A figure is everything else — graphs, charts, photographs, diagrams, maps, drawings, flowcharts, and infographics.

Both follow the same title format in APA 7, which is a change from previous editions. This standardization makes formatting simpler once you learn the structure.

The Standard APA 7 Format Layout

Every table and figure in APA 7 format follows this structure, in this order:

1. Number — bold, flush left (e.g., Table 1 or Figure 1)
2. Title — italicized, Title Case, on the line below the number
3. Body — the table itself or the image
4. Note — below the body, if needed

Each element is double-spaced from the others. The number and title sit above the table or figure. Notes sit below.

Numbering

Tables and figures are numbered separately and sequentially based on the order they first appear in the text:

• Table 1, Table 2, Table 3...
• Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3...

Use Arabic numerals. Do not use letters (Table A), Roman numerals (Table IV), or suffixes (Table 1a) unless you're numbering tables within appendices, where the format changes to Table A1, Table A2, Table B1, etc.

The number is bold and flush left:

Table 1

Title

The title appears on the line directly below the number. It is italicized and uses Title Case. It should be concise but descriptive — a reader should understand what the table contains without looking at the data.

Mean Reaction Times by Sleep Condition and Age Group

Do not bold the title. Do not put a period at the end.

Table Formatting

APA 7 tables follow specific structural rules:

Borders: Use horizontal lines (rules) sparingly. The standard APA table has a horizontal line below the column headings and a horizontal line at the bottom of the table. Do not use vertical lines between columns. Do not put a border around the entire table.

Column headings: Every column must have a heading. Headings use Title Case and are centered over the column.

Body text: Table body text is typically left-aligned for text columns and center-aligned or right-aligned for numerical columns.

Spacing: Tables can be single-spaced, one-and-a-half-spaced, or double-spaced, depending on what makes the data most readable. This is one of the few areas where APA 7 allows flexibility.

Font size: You may use a smaller font size in tables if needed for readability (as small as 8-point), but keep it consistent within the table.

No shading or color: Standard APA tables do not use colored backgrounds, shading, or alternating row colors. Keep it clean and simple.

Figure Formatting

Figures have more visual flexibility than tables, but the labeling and title format is identical:

Image quality: Figures must be high resolution and clearly legible. If submitting for publication, journals typically require 300 DPI minimum.

Axis labels: For graphs and charts, label both axes clearly. Use sentence case for axis labels.

Legends: If a figure uses colors, patterns, or symbols to represent different data, include a legend within the figure or explain them in the figure note.

Font within figures: You may use a sans-serif font (like Arial or Calibri) within figures for legibility, even if the rest of your paper uses a serif font. Keep it consistent across all figures.

Notes

Notes appear below the table or figure and provide additional context. APA 7 uses three types of notes, presented in this order:

General notes begin with the word "Note." in italics, followed by general information that applies to the entire table or figure. This is where you'd put the source if the table is adapted from another work.

Note. Reaction times are measured in milliseconds. Adapted from "Sleep and Cognition" by Smith, 2023.

Specific notes are indicated by superscript lowercase letters (a, b, c) and provide information about specific cells, rows, or columns.

Probability notes indicate statistical significance levels, marked with asterisks:

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

If you use multiple note types, present them in the order above: general, then specific, then probability.

Placement in the Paper

APA 7 gives you two options for where to place tables and figures:

Option 1: Embedded in text. Place each table or figure immediately after it is first mentioned in the text, or at the nearest convenient point. This is common in student papers and makes the paper easier to read.

Option 2: After references. Place all tables on separate pages after the reference list, then all figures on separate pages after the tables. This is more common in manuscripts submitted for journal publication.

Follow your instructor's or journal's preference. If none is specified, embedding in text is generally more reader-friendly.

Referring to Tables and Figures in Text

Every table and figure must be mentioned in the body text. Refer to them by their number:

"As shown in Table 1, reaction times decreased significantly across all conditions."

"Figure 2 illustrates the relationship between sleep duration and test performance."

Do not refer to tables or figures by their position on the page ("the table below" or "the figure on the next page") because pagination can change during editing and formatting.

Common Table and Figure Mistakes

• Using vertical lines. APA tables only use horizontal lines — under the column headings and at the bottom. No vertical lines, no grid borders.
• Missing column headings. Every column needs a heading, including the leftmost stub column.
• Title on the same line as the number. The number and title go on separate lines. Table 1 on one line, the italicized title on the next.
• Bolding the title. The number is bold. The title is italic. Do not bold the title.
• Forgetting to mention it in text. If a table or figure exists in your paper, it must be referenced in the body text. Orphan tables and figures are a formatting error.
• Inconsistent numbering. Tables and figures use separate numbering sequences. If you have two tables and one figure, they should be Table 1, Table 2, and Figure 1 — not Table 1, Table 2, Figure 3.

The Time Cost of APA 7 Format in Word

Figuring out how to format APA 7 in Word for even a single table — setting borders, removing gridlines, adjusting spacing, adding proper notes — can take 15-30 minutes. Multiple tables in a research paper or dissertation can eat hours. No APA 7 template handles tables and figures correctly out of the box.

SimpleFormat Pro handles table and figure formatting as part of the complete APA 7 student paper format. Structure, spacing, and labeling are applied automatically alongside every other APA 7 format rule.

Free for documents up to 5 pages. Preview any document before you pay.