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Media citations · workflow · MED-03

How to reproduce or adapt a table from a source

In brief: State whether a table was reproduced, shortened, translated, reordered or newly calculated from external data. Give the original source and exact location beside the table, provide the full reference in the appropriate list, and assess reuse rights separately. Any change capable of affecting comparison or meaning belongs in the caption or methods note.

Source-and-rights check

  1. Object: preserve author, title, edition, table, page and persistent address.
  2. Form: classify unchanged, shortened, translated, reordered, recalculated or newly visualised use.
  3. Data basis: check units, period, population, missing values and original dataset.
  4. Changes: record omitted rows, rounding, aggregation and relabelling.
  5. Citation: place short source and location by the table and full reference in the list.
  6. Rights: examine licence, permission or applicable exception separately.
  7. Argument: explain in the prose why the table is needed.
  8. Final comparison: verify values, totals, notes and source against the original.

Four different uses of a table

A reproduction retains values, order and design substantially. An adaptation changes language, selection or sequence. A recalculation uses external inputs but produces new measures. An original results table reports your own data, although borrowed instruments and methods still require citation.

Retyping a table in a new font does not make it original. Nor is a shortened table unchanged. Readers need to see which information came from the source and which selection or calculation you performed. Keep the source table and a concise change record.

Caption patterns for common cases

Wording matched to transformation
Case Pattern
Unchanged “Table 2. Sample characteristics. Reproduced from Author (year, p. 44, table 3), used under …”
Shortened “Adapted from Author (year, p. 44, table 3); groups C and D omitted.”
Translated “Adapted and translated from Author …; technical terms explained in the text.”
Recalculated “Author's calculation based on dataset X, version 2, variables A–C; method described in section 3.”
Combined “Author's compilation from source A, table 4, and source B, appendix 2; units harmonised.”

Adapt punctuation to the required style without losing this information. “Source: author” is misleading where values or categories are external, while “Source: internet” identifies no creator, work or version.

Audit values and meaning

Check every transferred value, decimal mark, minus sign, unit and footnote symbol. Recalculate totals. Explain rounding discrepancies. Preserve notes that define exclusions or categories. A missing significance marker can change interpretation; an omitted category can make percentages misleading.

For translations, keep a terminology ledger. For merged sources, test whether period, measurement definition and population are genuinely comparable. A shared column heading can hide incompatibility. Do not force unlike values into a seamless row; describe the boundary.

  • Compare value with original cell.
  • Check row and column headings.
  • Preserve unit and denominator.
  • Carry over exclusions and notes.
  • Document formulas for recalculation.
  • State your sorting or aggregation.

Citation is not a rights decision

This guide is not legal advice. Reuse depends on protectability, amount, purpose, licence, contract, publication mode and applicable jurisdiction.

Inspect rights statements for both publication and dataset. Individual facts may be treated differently from a creative selection or design, and database rights may also matter. Scholarly attribution remains necessary either way. For openly licensed content, record title, creator, source, licence version and modifications. For permission, retain the agreed scope.

Decoration is not the same as critical engagement. Connect the table to analysis in the text. Repository deposit or later publication may require a new check even when an internally examined dissertation was acceptable.

Submission and accessibility audit

Give tables descriptive titles, real row and column headers, and a meaningful reading order. Do not rely on colour alone. A very wide table may belong in an appendix or accessible supplementary file. An image of a table is hard to search and often inaccessible; preserve structure where rights and subject matter permit.

Match table number, caption, list entry and in-text callout. Define abbreviations and confirm references. The media citations hub covers other formats. Use charting third-party data for a new visualisation. The citing sources overview explains short and full references.

Worked case: combining two tables

Source A reports counts while source B gives percentages. Inspect denominators, populations and definitions before combining them. Never convert percentages without a documented base. Map differing categories and mark non-comparable values; blank does not necessarily mean zero.

The caption and methods identify both sources, harmonisation, formulas and exclusions. Keep originals, category map and combined file separately and trace every row. If alignment needs unsupported assumptions, present separate tables. A new rank order may dramatise differences, so state its criterion. Distinguish reported from calculated values. After revision, recheck totals, units, notes and list entries: a correctly copied number can still mislead under the wrong heading.

Official guidance

Check that downloadable companion data represent the same release as the visible table. Record mismatched update dates. If the source is corrected later, create a new table version and revisit every dependent claim. Preserve the earlier version and date so the evidence used at submission remains reconstructable. When only a rendered table exists, double-entry or a second-person spot check can detect transcription errors; document the method and any corrections rather than presenting manual copying as error-free.

Sources reviewed 4 September 2026.

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