Research produces many kinds of evidence.

You might have numerical results, interview findings, comparisons between groups, patterns over time, survey responses, definitions, observations, or relationships between variables.

The question is not simply:

How can I display this information?

A better question is:

What does my reader need to understand from this evidence?

That answer can help you decide whether the evidence belongs in prose, a table, or a figure.

The best format is usually the one that makes the important point easiest to understand without making the reader work unnecessarily.

Step 1: Decide what the evidence needs to communicate

Before creating a table or chart, identify the message.

Suppose a survey asks students how frequently social media interrupts their study sessions.

You discover:

Never — 8%

Rarely — 17%

Sometimes — 31%

Often — 29%

Very Often — 15%

There are several ways to present those results.

But first ask:

What does the reader need to notice?

Perhaps your important observation is:

Nearly three-quarters of respondents reported experiencing social media interruptions at least sometimes while studying.

If that single observation is all the reader needs, prose may be enough.

If readers need to compare all five responses, another format may be better.

When to use prose

Use prose when the evidence can be explained clearly in a sentence or short passage.

For example:

Most respondents reported at least occasional social media interruptions during study sessions, while relatively few reported never experiencing them.

The reader understands the point immediately.

Prose works especially well when:

• there are only one or two important values,
• the exact numbers are less important than the interpretation,
• the evidence needs explanation or context,
• you are describing qualitative findings,
• or a visual would add complexity without adding understanding.

Do not create a table simply because you have numbers.

Sometimes a sentence communicates the evidence better.

When to use a table

Tables are useful when readers need to look up or compare precise information.

For example:

Frequency Respondents

Never 8%

Rarely 17%

Sometimes 31%

Often 29%

Very Often 15%

The table makes individual values easy to find.

Tables are particularly useful for:

• comparing several categories,
• reporting precise numerical values,
• presenting demographic information,
• showing multiple variables,
• summarizing study characteristics,
• or organizing information that readers may need to reference.

Think of a table as saying:

Look at the values.

If exact information matters, a table may be the clearest choice.

When to use a figure

Figures are useful when the reader needs to see a pattern, relationship, distribution, process, or change.

Suppose you tracked average daily social media use and average uninterrupted study time.

A graph might make an important pattern visible much faster than a table of numbers.

Figures can include:

• bar charts,
• line graphs,
• scatterplots,
• diagrams,
• maps,
• photographs,
• conceptual models,
• and other visual representations.

Think of a figure as saying:

Look at the pattern.

If the important point becomes easier to recognize visually, a figure may be the better choice.

The simplest decision rule

You can begin with three questions:

Does the reader mainly need the explanation?

→ Use prose.

Does the reader need to compare or retrieve exact values?

→ Consider a table.

Does the reader need to see a pattern, relationship, or trend?

→ Consider a figure.

This is not an absolute rule, but it is a useful starting point.

Example: The same evidence three ways

Imagine you collected survey data about interruptions during study sessions.

Prose

Sixty percent of respondents reported that social media interrupted their study sessions often or sometimes.

This works when the percentage itself supports the point you are making.

Table

ResponsePercentageNever8%Rarely17%Sometimes31%Often29%Very Often15%

This works when readers need access to the full response distribution.

Figure

A bar chart showing the five response categories makes the relative frequency of each response immediately visible.

This works when the shape of the distribution is important.

The evidence has not changed.

What changed is what you want the reader to notice.

Do not present the same information three times

If a table contains all of your results, you usually do not need to reproduce every number again in the paragraph beside it.

Instead, use the prose to explain what matters.

For example:

As shown in Table 2, occasional and frequent interruptions were considerably more common than reporting no interruptions.

The table provides the detailed evidence.

The prose tells the reader why that evidence deserves attention.

This division of labor makes academic writing easier to follow.

Tables show detail; figures reveal patterns

Consider another example.

You have results from five semesters:

Semester Average Weekly Study Hours

1 12.4

2 11.8

3 10.9

4 9.7

5 8.8

If readers need to know that Semester 3 averaged 10.9 hours, the table is useful.

But if your argument concerns a steady decline over time, a line graph may communicate that pattern more effectively.

The decision depends on the purpose of the evidence.

Some evidence should remain prose

Researchers sometimes feel that important evidence deserves a visual.

Not necessarily.

Imagine an interview participant explains that notifications make it difficult to return to a complex task after being interrupted.

The meaning may depend on:

• the participant's explanation,
• the context,
• your interpretation,
• and its relationship to other interview findings.

Turning that observation into a chart could strip away the very information that makes it meaningful.

A carefully written paragraph may be the strongest presentation.

Ask whether the visual earns its space

Every table and figure interrupts the flow of the page.

That interruption should have a purpose.

Before adding one, ask:

Does this visual make something easier to understand?

Does it reveal something that prose does not communicate as clearly?

Will readers need to compare these values?

Will readers refer back to this information?

Does the visual support the argument around it?

If the answer is no, prose may be enough.

A thesis does not become stronger simply because it contains more charts and tables.

Connect the visual to the writing

A table or figure should not sit in the thesis without explanation.

Introduce it in the surrounding text and tell the reader what they should notice.

For example:

Figure 4 shows a steady decline in uninterrupted study time as reported social media interruptions increase.

Then interpret the significance of that observation.

The figure presents the evidence.

You still provide the analysis.

Give every table and figure a purpose

Before inserting a visual, try completing this sentence:

I am including this table or figure because it helps the reader see ________.

If you cannot complete that sentence clearly, reconsider whether the visual is necessary.

You should also be able to explain why you chose its particular format.

For example:

I chose a table because readers need the exact values.

or:

I chose a figure because the trend is more important than the individual values.

That simple test prevents many unnecessary visuals.

Check your research requirements

Universities, departments, journals, and citation styles may have specific requirements for tables and figures.

Requirements can affect:

• numbering,
• titles,
• captions,
• source attribution,
• placement,
• formatting,
• references in the text,
• and lists of tables or figures.

Always check the requirements that apply to your project rather than assuming one formatting convention applies everywhere.

A useful way to think about the decision

FormatBest when the reader needs to…ProseUnderstand an explanation, interpretation, or a small amount of evidenceTableCompare or retrieve exact values and categoriesFigureRecognize a pattern, relationship, trend, distribution, or process

The goal is not to make research look more sophisticated.

The goal is to make the evidence easier to understand.

How ThesisHub supports this process

As your research develops in ThesisHub, you can keep the evidence you collect connected to the ideas and sections it supports.

When information would be clearer visually, ThesisHub also provides tools for working with research charts, figures, and tables so those elements can remain part of the developing research project rather than becoming disconnected files.

The important decision remains yours:

What does this evidence mean, and how should the reader encounter it?

ThesisHub helps you organize and present the research.

You determine what the evidence says.

Continue Your Research in ThesisHub

Use ThesisHub to keep research notes, evidence, statements, figures, tables, and thesis structure connected as your project develops.

When you create a visual, give it a meaningful caption, keep track of its place in your research, and connect it to the writing where the evidence is discussed.

Keep your research connected to your writing.