How to Make a Data Table

When you collect data and before you make a graph, you should make a data table. A data table helps you organize all your information in one place, so you can see patterns and figure out which kind of graph will best represent your data. You can use programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel to make a data table. You can also use graph paper or notebook paper. It doesn't matter if you use a computer or pen and paper, as long as you make a data table that is labeled, neatly and accurately.

Instructions

1

Start with a title. The title needs to be specific and tell what the data table is about. For example, if you have a survey about exercise habits of teenagers, your title for the data table might be something like this: "Survey Results of Exercise Habits of Teenagers in Lindbergh High School." You can have subtitles for each survey question, such as "Number of Minutes Each Teenager Spent Each Day Exercising." If you are doing an experiment, you may have subtitles for each part of the experiment. But you still need an overall title, too.

2

Draw your table using a ruler. If you are using a computer program such as Microsoft Word, insert a table into a document. Before you draw a table or insert one, figure out how many columns and rows you will need. In the above example, how many students did you survey? Are you going to list each of their names separately to record the data? This will be how many rows you need in your table. The columns would be determined by the question you asked. For example, if you asked how many minutes they exercise each day of the week, you would need 7 columns--one for each day of the week.

3

Label your rows and columns with what the information means, just like you would with a graph. It is important that someone who is not familiar with your survey can read your data table easily. What do the names mean? They are teenagers who attend Lindbergh High School. Are the numbers in the table the amount of minutes certain teenagers exercise, or do the numbers stand for hours? Even if you feel the data table should be easy to read without labels, it is still important to label it and be specific.

4

Write your data amounts in the corresponding rows and columns. If you have constructed a table with the correct amount of rows and columns, then you should be putting a number in each space in your data table. If you labeled your table with a title and what each row and column represents, then your data table should be easy to read. Once you have made your table, you can look for patterns in the data and draw some conclusions based on these patterns.