The most common method of title wording is the "conventional" method. (It is called "conventional" because it is commonly used in statistical reports.) This method expresses simply what, how classified, where, and when; for example, ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE POPULATION BY AGE, FOR PROVIDENCIA: MID-YEAR 1974. Advantages of this method are that it is flexible; it is easy to learn and to handle; and it conforms to the normal expectation of the

user.

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Another method is the subject-phrase or key-phrase indicator. The title starts with a phrase set off from the remainder of the title by a dash or colon. For example: PLOYED PERSONS: OCCUPATION BY AGE AND SEX. As another example: EMPLOYED PERSONS: HOURS WORKED BY OCCUPATION. This method permits increased emphasis on the purpose of the presentation and differences between tables. It is most useful when presenting an involved series of tables.

Table titles need to be edited and often rewritten. The wording of each segment should reflect the content of the table, and the order in which the segments appear should depend on the significance they are given in the table.

lines or more, the first line is run full width and all succeeding lines indented four typewriter spaces (2 ems, if letterpress) from the left and run flush on the right edge of the table; the last line may run short at the right. Title placement does not change when produced on the computer.

3.3 Headnote

The headnote is a statement (or statements) placed below the table title, above the top rule of the table. It gives information which cannot be made clear elsewhere in the table and which is too general for inclusion in footnotes. It refers to the table as

a whole or a major portion of the table, or to a constantly recurring specific term, abbreviation, or situation. Several statements may be included in a headnote. All should be as brief as possible; for example, "These statistics cover persons 14 years old and over" may be shortened to "Persons 14 years old and over" because the reference is clear. However, clarity should not be sacrificed for briefness.

Sometimes the headnote gives additional title information; that is, information essential to understanding the statistics in the table. It may define a term used in the title. In some reports where it is not practical to include adequate introductory textual information, the burden of general definitions and qualifications must fall largely upon the headnote. The ideal table, however, would have no headnote because the table would be easily understood with the aid of a clear title and clear boxhead and stub entries.

The headnote is enclosed in parentheses (or in brackets if letterpress). Normal punctuation rules apply except that no period is used at the end even though the last statement is a complete sentence. The centering

The boxhead is that portion of a table in which is located the individual column heads or captions describing the data in each column. The boxhead may also contain qualifying spanner heads.

Like the stub, the boxhead serves the purpose of describing data. Usually it is not important whether the items are listed in the boxhead or in the stub, provided space is not a problem. However, the same pattern should be used for each table in a series. Boxhead presentation is efficient for (a) classifications limited to comparatively few items, (b) classifications with brief captions, and (c) constant subclassifications which are repeated many times in the series (such as value, quantity, unit cost). The boxhead, as compared with the stub, has one great advantage; that is, its greater ability to emphasize relationships among data, particularly those in adjoining columns.

3.41 Column head.--The individual column head (caption) is a descriptive title placed directly above the individual column to which it refers. It is the basic unit of the boxhead. Often it is further qualified or supplemented by one or more spanner heads.

3.42 Spanner head.--The spanner head is a classifying, descriptive, or qualifying caption which spreads across two or more individual column heads or lower spanners. It is the counterpart of the stub center head or subhead and the colon or dash (read-in) line caption in the stub. Normally, the boxhead

necessary to use a banner head. Since it applies to the table as a whole, the classification or qualification can be taken care of in the title, in the headnote, or in a stub center head. A banner head may be used to avoid wordy column heads or to emphasize an essential important qualification.

3.44 Panel.--A panel is a distinctive segment of the boxhead consisting of a group of related columns with their spanners, frequently a self-contained unit. The term is largely a term of convenience that is used when referring to distinctive groups of columns. The panel is the boxhead counterpart of the stub block.

3.45 Wording and arrangement.--The wording in the boxhead should be brief but clear. Insofar as possible, avoid abbreviations; also, keep to a minimum the need to hyphenate words that run over several lines. Except for words normally capitalized, captions should be in lower case throughout. However, when tables are produced entirely on the computer, the wording will be in capital letters entirely and may not be centered (see example 5).

EXAMPLE 5.

Usual:

On computer output tables, all captions are usually done flush left. Captions can be centered horizontally but it is time-consuming and not really necessary. Vertical centering is not possible on a computer; consequently, all captions start on the first (top) line (see example 5 on previous page). Because of this, one must be careful when drafting the table, being sure to remember that the depth of the boxhead is controlled by the deepest box. The "Incorrect" portion of

example 7 illustrates this point.

3.46 Unit of measure.--It is essential to the understanding of the data that the unit of measure be clearly indicated. This is particularly true when the descriptive captions, as well as the data, are expressed in figures.

although in terms of location and physical requirements, it is part of the boxhead.

Like the boxhead, the stub describes the specific data in the table and makes clear the relationship among the items. Whether a classification should be allocated to the stub or to the boxhead depends on space requirements, consistency from table to table, and the mechanical advantages and limitations on the ability of each to indicate intra-table relationships. The final allocation usually represents a compromise. Nevertheless, it is a decided convenience to the user if a constant pattern in the content of the boxhead and stub is maintained from table to table in a series.

Generally, stub presentation is recommended for (a) classifications involving numerous lists of items, (b) classifications requiring long and detailed captions, and (c) multiple sub-classifications. In its ability to show multiple levels of classification, the stub excels where the boxhead is weakest. Although brevity in presenting the classifications is essential in the stub captions, the same restrictions do not apply as for boxhead captions.

3.51 Stubhead.--The stubhead or caption of the stub describes the stub listing as a whole in terms of classifications presented. For example: Type of ownership by industry group; Industry group by size of establishment; Province and industry group. In general, only the major classifications should be indicated to permit the reader to note at a glance the principal content of the stub and the allocation of entries to the stub as compared with the boxhead.

The order of listing the classification terms depends largely on the purpose of the table. The levels may be listed in descending order, ascending order, or in order of importance. The space for the stubhead should never

be left blank. Where the stub listings are comparatively unrelated and cannot be generalized in a few words, it may be necessary to confine the description to a term such as "Subject," "Characteristic," or "Group."

3.52 Center head.--A center head describes a group of line captions until another center head is reached. It is centered horizontally in the stub. The first level center head is usually typed in full capital letters and the second level in initial caps and underlined. In letterpress work, distinction in levels is sometimes achieved by combinations of the boldness of the type and capitalization. If the computer prepares the printed tables, both the first and second levels will be in full capital letters.

3.53 Colon line and dash line.--A colon line is a heading within the stub, similar to a center head. However, it differs from a center head in that it conforms to data-line indent rather than being centered in the stub. Each colon line is a complete line caption in itself.

The dash (read-in) line is a fragment of a line caption and also conforms to data-line indent. It is basically a device to avoid repetition of words and is an integral part of each of its sub-entries. As such, it "reads in" smoothly to each sub-entry.

The colon line and dash line are similar in that no cell entries appear opposite them in the field of the table. Also, both conform to data-line indent and are typed in lower case letters.

EXAMPLE 11.

Dash line:

Mining establishments having-

Less than 10 employees.

10 to 14 employees....

15 to 19 employees....

20 or more employees..

3.54 Line caption.--A line caption describes the data on a given line of cells. Line captions are typed in lower case letters, unless the word is normally capitalized. Except where space prevents, the line caption is followed by leaders in the stub (series of periods, if typed or printed by the computer; series of short closely spaced dashes, if letterpress). The leaders help the reader line up the figures with the descriptions in the captions.

To save space in a stub, center heads can be changed to line captions in the form of a total line, but this must be done consistently within a table.