1g. Move repeating categories of information into tables.
- If you spot the same categories appearing over and over, make them into columns. Now, what are the rows in your table?
- If the message seems to be some kind of a trend, what are the data points? What is the x axis, and the y?
- If the text seems to be comparing sets A and B, whether these are sets of numbers or ideas, check to see if there is an A for every B. If so you have a complete table.
- Two column tables work best. Three are OK. Beyond four or five columns, you risk losing data on one side or the other, on the screen.
A table can present data more concisely than text can, and it is more accurate than graphic presentations. … A table facilitates comparisons among data because of the arrangement of the data into rows and columns. Overall trends about the information, however, are more easily seen in charts and graphs.
—Brusaw, Alred, & Oliu(1997)
The conventional sentence is a poor way to show more than two numbers because it prevents comparisons within the data.
Tables are preferable to graphics for many small data sets. … Tables also work well when the data presentation requires many localized comparisons.
—Tufte(1983)
See: Brusaw, Alred, & Oliu (1997), Horton (1990), Tufte (1983)
Other ways to trim that text
1b. Use short words.
1c. Make some sentences short.
1d. Make most paragraphs short.
1e. Delete marketing fluff.
1f. Move vital but tangential or supplemental material.
1g. Convert repeating categories of information into tables.
1h. Beware of cutting so far that you make the text ambiguous.
