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Chapter 5: Document Design

5.4 Tables

This section explains how to create tables to display information in a more digestible format.

Learning Objectives

After you read this section, you will be able to:

  • Determine when you need to include a table in your document
  • Create and change a table in Word and Google Docs

What are tables?

Tables are visual ways to organize content and data allowing users to scan information quickly.  Most students think that they can only organize information in paragraph form, but this makes reading difficult and slow.

Tables are used to display information and data in vertical columns and horizontal rows labeled at the top of each column and left side of each row to allow users to quickly scan and digest information. The intersection of a column and row is called a cell.

Effective tables include “thin lines and generous white space to separate the columns and thin horizontal lines to separate …categories of information” as well as bold and centered headings (Tebeaux & Dragga, 2018, p. 106), a scannable length of rows, footnotes for extra information, source indications (Markel, 2016), left aligned text, and sometimes shading of alternate rows rather than inclusion of lines (Redish, 2012).

To create a table in Word

  1. Determine what information you need to display in a table and how many columns and rows you will need
  2. Click Insert on the toolbar
  3. Click Table
    Snip of table tool
    Figure 5.4.1 Table Tool
  4. Drag your cursor over the number of rows and columns you need, and the table will populate immediately in your document
    Insert rows and columns in table snip
    Figure 5.4.2 Rows and Columns
  5. Type labels at the top of each column and left of each row
    snip of part of a table with parts of speech, meaning, and example
    Figure 5.4.3 Example Table

To add/delete a column/row to a table in Word

  1. Put your cursor in the cell where you want to add or delete a column or row
  2. Right click your cursor to open options
    Snip of table options
    Figure 5.4.4 Table Options
  3. To insert a column or row, click Insert which opens options
    Snip of Insert options for columns and rows
    Figure 5.4.5 Insert Columns or Rows
  4. Choose the option you need
  5. To delete a column or row, click Delete Cells to open new options
    Snip of delete options for cells, rows, and columns
    Figure 5.4.6 Delete Options
  6. Chose the option you need

To change properties of a table in Word

  1. Highlight the cells you want to shade with your cursor
    Snip of an example table with highlighted heading cells
    Figure 5.4.7 Highlighted Cells
  2. Right click to open options
  3. Click Properties toward the bottom of the options
    Snip of table properties tool
    Figure 5.4.8 Table Properties
  4. More options open including wrapping text, changing alignment, and cell width. To change shades and colors, Borders and Shading at the bottom
    snip of table properties including borders and shading button
    Figure 5.4.9 Borders and Shading
  5. When new window opens, change Fill color
    Snip fill color change
    Figure 5.4.10 Change Fill Color
  6. Click OK
  7. Click OK
  8. The highlighted cells will turn the chosen color.
    Snip of example table with light yellow headings
    Figure 5.4.11 Example Table with Light Yellow Headings

To create a table in Google Docs

  1. Determine what information you need to display in a table and how many columns and rows you will need
  2. Click Insert on the toolbar
    Snip Tables Insert Tool in Google Docs
    Figure 5.4.12 Insert Tool
  3. Click Tables when the drop-down menu opens
    Snip of Table tool in Google Docs
    Figure 5.4.13 Table Tool
  4. Drag the cursor across the cells to choose how many columns and rows your table needs. This table will include 4 columns and 3 rows
    Snip of Rows and Column choices
    Figure 5.4.14 Rows and Columns

    The table will display like this:

    Snip of a blank newly created table
    Figure 5.4.15 Blank Table
  5. Type labels in the first row and column. For example, this is the top of the sentence table in the Writing Style chapter:
    Snip of example table from the Writing Styles chapter
    Figure 5.4.16 Example Table

To add/delete columns or rows to your table in Google Docs

  1. Put your cursor in the specific cell where you want to add columns or rows
    snip of completed example table
    5.4.17 Completed Example Table
  2. Right click the cursor to open options
    Snip of table options inlcuding insert and delete
    Figure 5.4.18 Table Options
  3. Scroll down and click the option you want, including adding columns or rows above or below the current cell. If you click Insert row above, a blank row with the same number of columns will be inserted
  4. Repeat this process to insert rows below, insert columns to the left or right, or delete rows or columns

To change the properties of a table in Google Docs

  1. Properties include the size, color, and alignment of cells
  2. Put your cursor in the cell of the row or column you want to change
  3. Right click and scroll down to the bottom of the options as you did to insert/delete rows and columns
  4. Click Table Properties
    Snip of table properties tool
    Figure 5.4.19 Table Properties tool
  5. When the new window option opens to the right of your screen, choose the property you want to change by clicking the carrot to the left of the property
    Snip of Table Choices including Quick Layouts, Columns, Rows, and Colors
    Figure 5.4.20 Table Choices
  6. To change the color of the heading, click Color, which opens more options. The current cell has a table border of 1 pt black line with a white background
    Snip of Table Color tools
    Figure 5.4.21 Table Color
  7. Highlight the cells that you want to change
    Snip of table and color options
    Figure 5.4.22 Change Table Color
  8. To change the background color, click the background color option, which opens color choices
    Snip of various color options
    Figure 5.4.23 Color Options
  9. Click a color (light yellow)
    Snip of light yellow color option
    Figure 5.4.24 Light Yellow
  10. The cells will automatically change background color to light yellow:
    Snip of example table with light yellow headings
    Figure 5.4.25 Table with Light Yellow Headings

License

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How-To Write and Design a Tutorial Copyright © 2024 by Christine I. Kugelmann is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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