Tables should be self-explanatory (the reader should be able understand the data described without referring to the text). The tables should complement and not duplicate the information reported in the text and be numbered in Arabic numerals according to the order in which they appears in the text with a short self explanatory title placed above the table. Column headings should be brief and units of measurements should be described using SI units except in the case of blood pressure which is indicated as mmHg. All abbreviations used in the body of the table should be explained in a footnote. Tables should be single spaced and vertical lines separating the columns should be removed.
The instructions provided here pertain to tables included in the main article.
Tables must be editable, cell-based objects as typeset tables that are graphic objects cannot be eited. Use the table tool in your text editing software or create tables in Excel. Do not insert text boxes or graphics within your tables. Do not use returns, spaces, or tabs to separate data within a cell.
Organisation
Place each table in your manuscript file directly after the paragraph in which it is first cited (read order). Do not submit tables in a separate file(s).
Captions
Place the caption with the table in the manuscript. Captions include 3 main elements.
Label: in the format of "Table X". Number your tables with Arabic numerals.
Title: brief, descriptive, and placed above the table.
Legend, Footnotes: placed below the table.
In-text citations
You must cite tables in numerical order upon first mention in the text. During typesetting, tables will be placed immediately after the paragraph where they are first cited. Be aware that if a table’s first citation is in another table, a figure legend, or a box, the table will be placed immediately after.
Match the citation with the label. Example: If your label is Table 1, the in-text citation will also read "Table 1".
You may cite multiple tables as "Table 1 and 2", "Tables 1-3", or use a similar variation.
Correctly formatted table
Adapted from: Kim MH, Lee S, Koo JS, Jung KH, Park IH, et al. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene copy number gain in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC): prevalence, clinicopathologic features and prognostic implication. PLoS ONE. 2015. 10(3): e0120320. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.012032