Tabulation and the parts of a table
Tabulation arranges data in rows and columns so they can be read and compared quickly. A good table has a number, title, stub, box-head, body and source.
Parts of a table
| Part | Where | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Table number | Top, before the title | Identifies the table for reference, e.g. Table 3.1 |
| Title | Top | What, where and when: 'Anaemia status of adolescent girls by age, Chennai, 2026' |
| Head note | Below the title, right side | The unit, e.g. '(figures in numbers)' or '(Hb in g/dL)' |
| Caption or box-head | Top of each column | Column headings, e.g. 'Normal', 'Anaemic', 'Total' |
| Stub and stub head | Left column | Row headings, e.g. age groups; the stub head names that column |
| Body | Centre | The actual figures |
| Footnote | Below the body | Explains anything unusual, e.g. 'Anaemia = Hb below 12 g/dL (WHO)' |
| Source note | Bottom | Where secondary data came from, e.g. 'Source: NFHS-5' |
Simple vs complex tables
Tables are also grouped by purpose: general-purpose (reference) tables hold all the data, often in an appendix; special-purpose (summary) tables bring out one point for discussion.
A grouped frequency table: Hb of 60 adolescent girls
| Hb (g/dL) | Frequency | Percentage | Cumulative frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0-7.9 | 3 | 5.0 | 3 |
| 8.0-8.9 | 6 | 10.0 | 9 |
| 9.0-9.9 | 9 | 15.0 | 18 |
| 10.0-10.9 | 12 | 20.0 | 30 |
| 11.0-11.9 | 14 | 23.3 | 44 |
| 12.0-12.9 | 10 | 16.7 | 54 |
| 13.0-13.9 | 6 | 10.0 | 60 |
| Total | 60 | 100.0 | - |
Rules for a good table
- Give every table a number and a short, clear title.
- State the units in a head note or in the column headings.
- Arrange rows and columns in a logical order: by size, time, place or alphabet.
- Put columns to be compared side by side, and show totals.
- Explain unusual items in a footnote; name the source of secondary data.
- Frequency tables: classes must not overlap, should have equal widths, and usually number 5 to 15.
A frequency table of Hb shows anaemia at a glance. In the example, the cumulative frequency shows that 44 of 60 girls (73.3%) have Hb below 12 g/dL, the WHO cut-off for anaemia at this age. A two-way table of anaemia by diet type then shows where to act.
2 marks: “What is a stub in a table?” The stub is the left-hand column of a table that holds the row headings, such as age groups. Its heading is the stub head.
5 marks: “Explain the parts of a table with a model table.” Draw a skeleton table and label the table number, title, head note, caption, stub, body, footnote and source note, with one line on each.
10 marks: “What is tabulation? Explain its objectives, the parts of a table, the types of tables and the rules of tabulation.” Definition and objectives, a labelled model table, simple vs complex tables, frequency tables, and the rules for a good table.
Parts, roughly top to bottom: "Never Take Hot Biryani Straight; Blow First, Slowly" = Number, Title, Head note, Box-head, Stub, Body, Footnote, Source.