Tables & Figures (jeea-tables-figures)
When to trigger
- Tables are dense, over-decorated, or still carry significance asterisks
- A figure is the better vehicle for the headline result but you are leading with a table
- Notes are missing the sample, units, inference, or estimator
- Exhibits are dumped at the end rather than supporting the argument
The JEEA exhibits bar
JEEA is general interest, so exhibits must be legible to an economist outside the subfield: the headline result should be readable from one table or one figure with its note alone. JEEA follows the standard modern-economics presentation discipline — report standard errors / confidence sets, not significance asterisks or boldface for significance — and the final accepted version is copyedited to OUP house style, so do not over-format the submission. Lead with the exhibit that carries the claim; everything else supports it.
Table craft
- Three-line tables (
booktabs): top/mid/bottom rules only; no vertical rules, no shading for emphasis.
- No significance stars. Report point estimate and standard error (or confidence set) beneath it; never
***/**/* or boldface to denote significance.
- Self-contained notes: sample and period, unit of observation, dependent variable and units, estimator, inference (clustering level), and the number of observations/clusters.
- One claim per table. The main table should let a reader recover the headline magnitude and its uncertainty without the text.
- Structural fit tables: show targeted vs. untargeted moments (data vs. model) so identification is visible.
Figure craft
- Event-study plots with confidence bands and a visible pre-period (flat leads = the parallel-trends evidence).
- Model-fit overlays (data vs. simulated moments) and counterfactual curves with uncertainty bands for structural work.
- Vector output (
.eps/.pdf) preferred for final files; raster at ≥300 dpi; readable axis labels and units; colorblind-safe palettes; no chartjunk.
- Prefer a figure over a table when the shape of the result (dynamics, heterogeneity, distribution) is the point.
Execution bridge (StatsPAI / Stata MCP)
Generate exhibits from the fitted result, not by retyping numbers. Full map:
execution-with-mcp. JEEA is a general-interest European economics flagship; credible identification across applied fields.
- Tables:
etable (multi-model) or did_summary_to_latex straight from the result_id.
- Figures:
plot_from_result / enhanced_event_study_plot / event_study_table —
axis units and the SE/clustering note baked in.
- Every note names the estimator + clustering and states the magnitude in interpretable units.
See a full fitted-result → exhibit chain in the JF execution walkthrough.
Checklist
Exhibits by paper type
- Applied micro / development: lead with the event-study figure (dynamics + parallel-trends evidence) or a single main-effect table; relegate the specification grid to the online appendix.
- Theory: a figure of the key comparative static or a numerical example can make an abstract proposition concrete; do not over-tabulate.
- Structural / quantitative: a model-fit table (targeted vs. untargeted moments) plus a counterfactual figure with uncertainty bands; a parameter-estimate table with standard errors.
- Macro / finance: impulse-response or factor figures with confidence bands; avoid factor-zoo tables no generalist can parse.
Worked vignette (illustrative)
A draft reports the main result in a 9-column regression table with three rows of asterisks and bolded coefficients. A general-interest referee cannot find the headline number. The JEEA-grade fix: move seven columns to the online appendix, keep the two that carry the claim, replace asterisks with the point estimate and its standard error in parentheses, and add a self-contained note (sample, period, unit, dependent variable in levels, clustering at the state level, N and number of clusters). The headline magnitude is now readable from the table alone — and the event-study figure, promoted to the main text, shows the dynamics the table cannot.
Anti-patterns
- Significance stars or bolded "significant" coefficients (against JEEA house norms)
- A table no one can read without hunting through three paragraphs of text
- Notes missing the clustering level, units, or sample definition
- Leading with a regression table when an event-study figure tells the story better
- Over-formatting to mimic the typeset journal style the copyeditor will apply anyway
- Counterfactual or fit figures with no uncertainty representation
- A factor-zoo or specification-grid table dumped in the main text with no headline exhibit
Output format
【Headline exhibit】[table N / figure N] — recoverable from its note? [Y/N]
【Significance display】SEs/CIs only, no asterisks? [Y/N]
【Notes complete】sample/units/estimator/inference/N? [Y/N]
【Figures】event-study / fit / counterfactual with bands? [Y/N]
【Next step】jeea-writing-style
1---2name: jeea-tables-figures3description: Use when building or revising tables and figures for a Journal of the European Economic Association (JEEA) manuscript so exhibits read clean for a general-interest audience and respect JEEA house norms. Shapes exhibits; it does not change the underlying estimates.4---56# Tables & Figures (jeea-tables-figures)78## When to trigger910- Tables are dense, over-decorated, or still carry significance asterisks11- A figure is the better vehicle for the headline result but you are leading with a table12- Notes are missing the sample, units, inference, or estimator13- Exhibits are dumped at the end rather than supporting the argument1415## The JEEA exhibits bar1617JEEA is **general interest**, so exhibits must be legible to an economist outside the subfield: the **headline result should be readable from one table or one figure** with its note alone. JEEA follows the standard modern-economics presentation discipline — **report standard errors / confidence sets, not significance asterisks or boldface for significance** — and the final accepted version is copyedited to OUP house style, so do not over-format the submission. Lead with the exhibit that carries the claim; everything else supports it.1819## Table craft2021- **Three-line tables** (`booktabs`): top/mid/bottom rules only; no vertical rules, no shading for emphasis.22- **No significance stars.** Report point estimate and **standard error (or confidence set)** beneath it; never `***`/`**`/`*` or boldface to denote significance.23- **Self-contained notes:** sample and period, unit of observation, dependent variable and units, estimator, inference (clustering level), and the number of observations/clusters.24- **One claim per table.** The main table should let a reader recover the headline magnitude and its uncertainty without the text.25- **Structural fit tables:** show targeted vs. untargeted moments (data vs. model) so identification is visible.2627## Figure craft2829- **Event-study plots** with confidence bands and a visible pre-period (flat leads = the parallel-trends evidence).30- **Model-fit overlays** (data vs. simulated moments) and **counterfactual curves with uncertainty bands** for structural work.31- **Vector output** (`.eps`/`.pdf`) preferred for final files; raster at ≥300 dpi; readable axis labels and units; colorblind-safe palettes; no chartjunk.32- Prefer a figure over a table when the **shape** of the result (dynamics, heterogeneity, distribution) is the point.3334## Execution bridge (StatsPAI / Stata MCP)3536Generate exhibits from the fitted result, not by retyping numbers. Full map:37[`execution-with-mcp`](../../../shared-resources/empirical-methods/execution-with-mcp.md). JEEA is a general-interest European economics flagship; credible identification across applied fields.3839- **Tables:** `etable` (multi-model) or `did_summary_to_latex` straight from the `result_id`.40- **Figures:** `plot_from_result` / `enhanced_event_study_plot` / `event_study_table` —41 axis units and the SE/clustering note baked in.42- **Every note** names the estimator + clustering and states the magnitude in interpretable units.4344See a full fitted-result → exhibit chain in the [JF execution walkthrough](../../../Journal-of-Finance-Skills/resources/worked-examples/02-execution-walkthrough.md).45## Checklist4647- [ ] No significance asterisks or boldface-for-significance anywhere48- [ ] Standard errors / confidence sets reported beneath estimates49- [ ] Each table/figure note is self-contained (sample, units, estimator, inference, N)50- [ ] Headline result recoverable from one exhibit + its note51- [ ] Event-study / fit / counterfactual figures carry uncertainty bands52- [ ] Three-line tables; vector figures at publication quality53- [ ] Exhibits support the argument in-text, not dumped at the end5455## Exhibits by paper type5657- **Applied micro / development:** lead with the event-study figure (dynamics + parallel-trends evidence) or a single main-effect table; relegate the specification grid to the online appendix.58- **Theory:** a figure of the key comparative static or a numerical example can make an abstract proposition concrete; do not over-tabulate.59- **Structural / quantitative:** a model-fit table (targeted vs. untargeted moments) plus a counterfactual figure with uncertainty bands; a parameter-estimate table with standard errors.60- **Macro / finance:** impulse-response or factor figures with confidence bands; avoid factor-zoo tables no generalist can parse.6162## Worked vignette (illustrative)6364A draft reports the main result in a 9-column regression table with three rows of asterisks and bolded coefficients. A general-interest referee cannot find the headline number. The JEEA-grade fix: move seven columns to the online appendix, keep the two that carry the claim, replace asterisks with the point estimate and its standard error in parentheses, and add a self-contained note (sample, period, unit, dependent variable in levels, clustering at the state level, N and number of clusters). The headline magnitude is now readable from the table alone — and the event-study figure, promoted to the main text, shows the dynamics the table cannot.6566## Anti-patterns6768- Significance stars or bolded "significant" coefficients (against JEEA house norms)69- A table no one can read without hunting through three paragraphs of text70- Notes missing the clustering level, units, or sample definition71- Leading with a regression table when an event-study figure tells the story better72- Over-formatting to mimic the typeset journal style the copyeditor will apply anyway73- Counterfactual or fit figures with no uncertainty representation74- A factor-zoo or specification-grid table dumped in the main text with no headline exhibit7576## Output format7778```79【Headline exhibit】[table N / figure N] — recoverable from its note? [Y/N]80【Significance display】SEs/CIs only, no asterisks? [Y/N]81【Notes complete】sample/units/estimator/inference/N? [Y/N]82【Figures】event-study / fit / counterfactual with bands? [Y/N]83【Next step】jeea-writing-style84```