Writing from Data
Carol Lynn Moder
Many academic writing tasks require you to present information that you have gathered or that you have been given in to explain or interpret the information. One common way of presenting data is to use a table.
Many beginning writers simply take the tables that they get from a database or statistical package and insert them into their writing, but this practice is not usually very effective. When you present data in a table you should consider whether the way you have labeled and organized it will be understandable to your audience. You should also consider what your purpose as a writer is. Why are you presenting this information? What is the main idea that you want to convey? Even when we are presenting numerical data, we as writers need to consider that the thesis of the writing is and how we can make it clear to the audience. One important way of making sure the information in a table is clear is to provide good labels.
| TABLE 1: Health Statistics 2002 – 2003 | ||
| France | USA | |
| Life Expectancy | 72 years | 69.3 years |
| Percent overweight (Body Mass Index ≥25) | ||
| Men | 49% | 68% |
| Women | 35% | 51% |
Consider Table 1. The title on the table “Health Statistics 2002-2003” gives the reader a very general idea of the kind of information the table will contain and the dates it was collected, but it does not help the reader to understand what the writer’s main point is in presenting the table. What does the writer want the reader to focus on? By looking at the headings for the columns on the right “France” and “USA,” we can guess that the writer’s focus is a comparison of the two countries. The information in the rows suggests that the comparison will be related to “life expectancy” and the “percent” of the population that were “overweight.” By looking at these labels we can figure out what the purpose of the comparison might be, but it would be much more effective if the writer put a title on the table that made its purpose explicit.
FOCUS: Labelling Tables
Brainstorm some better titles for Table 1. Consider how each title might indicate the writer’s main purpose.
Why do you think the information about France is in the first column? What does the order of the columns suggest to you about the writer’s focus?
The second key way to use the presentation of data to support your main purpose is to explain the information in the table is clearly in the text of the writing. Do not assume that a reader will look at the table and understand it the way you intend.
FOCUS: Comparing for a purpose
Look at Table 1 and write three statements that use the information in the table to compare France and the USA.
Think about the three statements you have written. How could you use them to develop a thesis? What would the thesis be?
The information in table 1 comes from an article by Paul Rozin in which he examines what has been called “The French Paradox.” From an American point of view, the paradox is that the French