How to Cite Tables

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: April 15, 2021 References

If you're writing a research paper, you may want to reference data or other information compiled in a table in one of your sources. Generally, your citation must indicate that you pulled the information from the table rather than the text of the source. How you do this will differ depending on whether you're using the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), or Chicago Style citation method.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
MLA

1
Cite the source in which the table appears. When citing a table that appears in a book or article, include an entry for the entire source on your Works Cited page. There's no need to specifically reference the table in your Works Cited entry.^{[1]
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Research source}
- For example, suppose you referenced a table from the MLA report on enrollment in languages other than English in the US. Your Works Cited entry would look like this: Looney, Dennis, and Natalia Lusin. Enrollments in Languages Other Than English in United States Institutions of Higher Education, Summer 2016 and Fall 2016: Preliminary Report. Modern Language Association, Feb. 2018, www.mla.org/content/download/83540/2197676/2016-Enrollments-Short-Report.pdf.
2
Create a separate Works Cited entry for tables from large datasets. In massive datasets, it would be difficult for your readers to find an individual table you referenced. Instead, provide an individual citation with a direct link to the particular table you used.^{[2]
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Research source}
- For example, if you cited the raw data for language enrollment, your Works Cited entry would look like this: "Table 311.70. Course Enrollments in Languages Other Than English Compared With Total Enrollment at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions, by Enrollment Level, Institution Level, and Language: Selected Years, 1965 – 2013." Digest of Education Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, 2016, nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_311.70.asp.
Tip: If you're using a table on a website as a reference, include a permalink to the table itself if at all possible, rather than to the whole webpage.

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3
Identify the table specifically in your in-text citation. A regular MLA in-text citation includes the last name of the author and the page number where the material you quoted or paraphrased can be found. If you're citing a table, place the word "table" along with the table number from the original source in square brackets after the page number.^{[3]
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Research source}
- For example, you might write: "The largest decreases in language enrollment were in ancient, classical, and biblical languages (Looney and Lusin 13 [table 1])."
4
Use source notes to attribute data in tables you compile. If you create a table in your paper that compares data from different sources, type "Source(s):" on the line directly under the table, then provide the full Works Cited citation for the source of the data. Use superscripted letters to identify which data came from which source. Start each source entry on a new line.^{[4]
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- Since you have included the full citation in the body of your paper with the table, you don't need to duplicate that citation in your Works Cited.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
APA

1
Start with the author and date of publication. If an individual is listed as the author of the work in which the table appears, type their last name first followed by a comma, then their first and middle initial (if one is available). If the dataset and table are credited to a government agency or other organization, provide the name of that entity as the author of the table. Place a period after the author's name, then include the year of publication in parentheses. Place a period outside the closing parentheses.
- Example: Statistics Canada.
2
Provide the title of the specific table you used as a source. After the year of publication, type the title of the table. Use sentence case, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns. Type a space after the title and add the word "Table" in square brackets. Place a period after the closing brackets.
- Example: Statistics Canada. (2018). Population by broad age groups and sex, 2016 counts for both sexes, Canada, and census metropolitan areas [Table].
3
Include the name of the publication or website in italics. Type the word "In" (also in italics) followed by the name of the book, database, website, or other source where the table appears. Use sentence case, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns. Place a period at the end.
- Example: Statistics Canada. (2018). Population by broad age groups and sex, 2016 counts for both sexes, Canada, and census metropolitan areas [Table]. In 2016 census.
4
Close with a permalink URL for the source, if appropriate. If you accessed the table online, close your reference list entry with a URL that points your readers directly to the page where the table appears. Do not place a period at the end of the URL.
- Example: Statistics Canada. (2018). Population by broad age groups and sex, 2016 counts for both sexes, Canada, and census metropolitan areas [Table]. In 2016 census. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/as/Table.cfm?Lang=E&T=12&Type=2
APA Reference List Format:

Author Last Name, A. A. (Year). Title of table in sentence case [Table]. In name of publication or website. URL.
5
Use a standard in-text citation with author and year. When you discuss the data in the table in your paper, include a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence. Type the last name of the author (or full name of an institutional author) followed by a comma, then type the year of publication. Your parenthetical citation goes inside the closing punctuation for the sentence.
- For example, you might write: "There are nearly 60,000 more women living in Toronto than men, according to the 2016 census (Statistics Canada, 2018)."
6
Add a note with parenthetical citations for multiple sources. If you create a table in the body of your paper with data you pulled from multiple sources, type "Note" in italics on the line immediately under the table. Place a period after the word "Note," then describe which data in the table came from which source. Include a full citation for each source in your reference list at the end of your paper.^{[5]
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Research source}
- For example, suppose you have created a table about pasta consumption in the United States, France, Italy, and Japan. Data for each country came from 4 different sources. Your note below the table might read: "Note. Data for pasta consumption in the United States from Prego (2017), for France from Manger (2016), for Italy from Romeo (2016), and for Japan from Kawaii (2017)."
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Chicago

1
Start your citation with the name of the author. If an individual author is listed, type their last name followed by a comma, then their first name. If the table or data in the table were created by a government agency or other organization, list that entity as the author of the table.^{[6]
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Research source}
- Example: National Center for Education Statistics.
Tip: If the table appears in a traditional publication, such as a book or a journal article, simply cite to the book or journal article – not the table itself.
2
Provide the title of the table in double quotation marks. Type a space after the period following the author's name, then type the title of the table. Use title case, capitalizing adjectives, nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adverbs. Place a period at the end of the title, inside the closing quotation marks.^{[7]
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Research source}
- Example: National Center for Education Statistics. "Fall Enrollment in Degree-Granting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, by Sex of Student and Level and Control of Institution: Selected Years, 1976 through 2015."
3
List the name of the website or dataset and the date modified. After the title, include the name of the complete source that the table is a part of in italics. Place a period, then type the words "Last modified" in regular font, followed by the date in month-day-year format, if available.^{[8]
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Research source}
- Example: National Center for Education Statistics. "Fall Enrollment in Degree-Granting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, by Sex of Student and Level and Control of Institution: Selected Years, 1976 through 2015." Digest of Education Statistics. Last modified November 2016.
4
Close with a permalink URL to the table, if appropriate. If you accessed the table online, include a URL that will take your readers directly to the table you used. Place a period at the end of the URL.^{[9]
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Research source}
- Example: National Center for Education Statistics. "Fall Enrollment in Degree-Granting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, by Sex of Student and Level and Control of Institution: Selected Years, 1976 through 2015." Digest of Education Statistics. Last modified November 2016. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_313.20.asp.
Chicago Bibliography Format:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Table in Title Case." Name of Publication or Website. Last modified Month Day, Year. URL.
5
Use commas instead of periods in your footnotes. Place a superscripted number at the end of any sentence in which you reference information in the table, outside the closing punctuation. Your footnote includes the same information as your citation in your bibliography. However, you'll change the punctuation so that the only period is at the end of the footnote. For print sources, you would also include the page number where the table appears.^{[10]
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Research source}
- Example: National Center for Education Statistics, "Fall Enrollment in Degree-Granting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, by Sex of Student and Level and Control of Institution: Selected Years, 1976 through 2015," Digest of Education Statistics, last modified November 2016, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_313.20.asp.
Tip: If the table appears in a traditional publication, such as a book or journal article, place a comma after the page number in your footnote and type "table" followed by the number of the table in the original source.
6
Include separate footnotes for each source of data in a table. If you've compiled your own table based on data from several different sources, simply place a superscripted number after each piece of data that comes from a different source. Add a footnote for each source, then include those sources in your bibliography as well.^{[11]
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- If data from an entire row or column came from a single source, place your superscripted number after the header for that row or column to create a footnote that covers the entire range of data, rather than adding an identical footnote for every piece of data.
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