jm-tables-figures

Tables & Figures, AMA Style (jm-tables-figures)

When to trigger

• Results are settled and exhibits need to be built or cleaned up
• Tables show stars only, with no exact p-values, standard errors, or effect sizes
• A figure could carry the managerial takeaway better than a paragraph
• You are over the 50-page limit and exhibits are part of the budget

JM reporting carries into the exhibits

JM's statistical-transparency mandate is not just a text rule — it governs every table. Result tables must show actual p-values (not "p < .05" or stars alone), standard errors, and effect sizes / magnitudes. A reader should be able to judge the substantive importance of an effect from the table, because JM evaluates managerial relevance, not significance counts. Prefer reporting coefficients with SEs and exact p-values, and add a column or note giving the effect in interpretable units (elasticity, lift, WTP, welfare) wherever feasible.

Mind the 50-page budget

JM enforces a 50-page maximum that is inclusive of title, abstract, keywords, text, footnotes, references, tables, figures, and print appendices; only web appendices are excluded. Every table and figure therefore spends pages. Design exhibits to earn their space: consolidate redundant tables, move secondary results to a web appendix, and ensure each remaining exhibit answers a question a reviewer or manager actually asks.

What each exhibit type should do

• Descriptives / correlation table: sample composition and construct relationships at a glance; reliabilities on the diagonal where multi-item scales are used.
• Main results table(s): coefficients, SEs, exact p-values, effect sizes; clearly labeled models/specifications; the identification design legible from the table.
• Interaction / mechanism figure: simple-slopes or marginal-effects plot for moderation; a mediation diagram with indirect-effect estimates and CIs for process.
• Managerial-takeaway exhibit: a figure that converts the result into a decision-relevant quantity (e.g., predicted sales/CLV across a manipulated lever) — this is where JM's dual mandate shows in the exhibits.
• Study-design / conceptual figure: a clean model or multi-study roadmap when it aids comprehension.

AMA house-style essentials

• Author-date conventions in notes; consistent decimal places; defined abbreviations.
• 12-point font; tables and figures may be single-spaced; 1-inch margins; no page numbers, line numbers, headers, or footers in the file.
• Each exhibit self-contained: a title, complete notes (N, estimator, SE type, significance reporting), and units, readable without the text.
• Number consistently and reference every exhibit in the text in order.

Checklist

• Tables report exact p-values, SEs, and effect sizes (no stars-only)
• At least one exhibit conveys the managerial magnitude in real units
• Interaction plotted; mediation shown with indirect effects + CIs
• Each exhibit self-contained (title, full notes, N, estimator, units)
• Redundant tables consolidated; secondary results moved to web appendix
• Total exhibits fit within the 50-page inclusive budget
• AMA formatting: 12-pt, no page/line numbers/headers/footers

Anti-patterns

• Stars-only tables with no exact p-values, SEs, or magnitudes.
• Significance without managerial meaning — no units a decision maker reads.
• Exhibit bloat that pushes the manuscript over 50 pages.
• Non-self-contained exhibits that require the text to interpret.
• Inconsistent numbering / undefined abbreviations.

Output format

【Tables】exact p / SE / effect size present? specifications labeled?
【Managerial exhibit】magnitude in real units shown? where ...
【Interaction/mediation】simple slopes / indirect-effect plot present?
【Self-containment】titles + full notes + units complete?
【Page budget】exhibits fit 50-page inclusive limit? web appendix used?
【AMA format】12-pt, no page/line numbers/headers/footers: ok?
【Next step】jm-writing-style