ISSN: 1080-6059
Tables must be created by using the Microsoft Word table editor (not by using tabs and spaces or in Microsoft Excel). Number tables consecutively in the text; if an article has only 1 table, do not number it. Tables may not be separated into subdivisions (Table 1A and Table 1B); instead, split into 2 tables. References in tables are ordered according to the first citation of the table in text.
Tables are set in 8-point Arial font and may be no wider than 6.7" (17 cm). Tables wider than 6.7" should be truncated or included for online publication only.
Tables should be arranged with like data (e.g., organism name, antibody titer) in columns. If a table cell contains text, only the first word should begin with a capital letter. Horizontal rules are used to set off column heads. If necessary for readability, horizontal rules may also be used to group categories of information within the body of the table. Vertical rules are never used, and tables are never displayed in landscape (sideways) orientation.
Table titles should be brief but self-explanatory. Place the title above, not below, the table. Capitalize the first letter of the title and do not include a period at the end. Titles should contain enough information to stand alone (e.g., populations, dates, locations) but should not repeat information in column or row heads. Avoid using abbreviations in titles, but when necessary to do so, explain abbreviation in footnote, not in title itself.
Use abbreviations as needed for space (see below). Capitalize only the first word of each column header. Capitalize the first word after a symbol (e.g., 95% Confidence interval).
Tables should be self-explanatory; therefore, spell out terms even if they have been introduced in the text. Terms may be abbreviated within the table and defined in a footnote; all abbreviated terms may be defined in the same footnote.
M and F do not need to be defined when used to mean male and female.
Use no. (%), not n (%).
Use no. patients, not no. of patients
Do not use virgules; e.g., NA, ND, not N/A, N/D.
Use the following symbols, not superscript, in the order shown, to indicate footnotes:
*, †, ‡, §, ¶, #. If the table requires >6 footnotes, use double (e.g., **, ††) symbols. No space is used between a footnote symbol and the footnote. Place a period at the end of each footnote.
Units should not be repeated in every cell but should be noted once in the column head. The unit of measure usually appears after the thing it measures, not necessarily at the end of the boxhead. Use SI units or other common units of measure.
Weight (kg) during treatment
Manuscript Preparation: Tables
Formatting Figures
Abbreviations
Units of Measurement
Please contact the EID Editors at eideditor@cdc.gov
The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
This page posted January 29, 2009
This page last reviewed August 12, 2009
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