car-tables-figures

Tables & Figures (car-tables-figures)

When to trigger

• Exhibits are cluttered, not self-contained, or off CAR house style
• A variable-definitions appendix is missing (an archival reviewer staple)
• Experimental results lack a clean cell-means / contrast table
• You are paginating exhibits for the 50-page limit and online appendix

CAR Style Guide exhibit rules

CAR's format rules (author guidelines + CAR Style Guide) govern exhibits directly:

• Each exhibit (appendix, table, figure) begins on a new page.
• In-text notes are footnotes, not endnotes; tables use table notes to define every variable, sample, and significance convention.
• Pages are numbered sequentially after the abstract page; the manuscript itself is blind (no author identifiers in exhibit titles, file names, or footnotes).
• The main text is held to 30 pages within a 50-page overall limit; push large or supplementary exhibits into the online-only supplementary appendix rather than padding the main body.
• LaTeX authors may use Wiley's New Journal Design (NJD) template for accepted papers; confirm exact table/figure formatting against the current CAR Style Guide.

Build exhibits the reviewers expect, by tradition

• Archival / capital-markets. Provide (1) a variable-definitions appendix with exact construction and data sources — this is mandatory in spirit under the Data Integrity policy; (2) a descriptive-statistics table (N, mean, median, SD, key percentiles), noting winsorizing/truncating; (3) a correlation table (Pearson/Spearman); (4) results tables with coefficients, standard errors (clustered), and the SE-clustering and fixed-effects structure stated in the notes. Report economic magnitude, not just stars.
• Experimental. Provide a cell-means table (means, SDs, n per condition), the ANOVA/contrast table, and manipulation-check results; a figure of the predicted interaction aids interpretation.
• Analytical. Present propositions/results cleanly; figures should illustrate comparative statics or equilibrium regions, with parameter assumptions noted.

Self-containment

Every exhibit must be readable without the text: title, sample/period, variable definitions, units, and the meaning of each significance marker all appear in the notes.

Checklist

• Each exhibit starts on a new page; footnotes (not endnotes) used throughout
• Variable-definitions appendix present (archival) with sources and construction
• Descriptive, correlation, and results tables report clustered SEs and FE structure
• Experimental cell-means, ANOVA/contrasts, and manipulation checks tabulated
• Economic magnitudes (not only significance) reported
• Exhibits blind; supplementary material routed to the online-only appendix
• Numbers reconcile exactly with the code repository and the text

Anti-patterns

• Stars without magnitudes; endnotes where CAR requires footnotes.
• Undefined variables or a missing definitions appendix.
• Author identifiers leaking into exhibit titles or file names.
• Padding the main body past 30/50 pages instead of using the online appendix.

Exhibit pass for Contemporary Accounting Research

Use this as a second-pass capability check. First lock the accounting construct, setting, identification or theory, and disclosure/market/organizational implication; then test whether the manuscript addresses accounting reviewers who expect accounting-specific constructs, credible design, and contribution to reporting, auditing, tax, or governance debates.

• Primary move: For every table or figure, state the object, sample/case base, uncertainty display, and one sentence the exhibit proves for this venue.
• Decision ledger: return claim / evidence / blocker / next edit rows so the next pass can patch the manuscript directly.
• Neighbor test: compare against The Accounting Review for US flagship breadth, JAR for Chicago-style accounting research, JAE for economics/accounting interface; if the neighboring outlet has the stronger audience claim, recommend re-routing before polishing.
• Verification floor: before submission-ready advice, re-open resources/official-source-map.md for volatile rules and name the one unresolved fact that could change the recommendation.

Output format

【Exhibit list】tables/figures/appendices; each on a new page?
【Variable definitions】appendix present, sources/construction stated?
【Results table】clustered SEs, FE structure, magnitudes shown?
【Experiment】cell means / ANOVA / manipulation checks tabulated?
【Style】footnotes (not endnotes), blind, page budget (30/50) ...
【Next step】car-writing-style