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.
Execution bridge (StatsPAI / Stata MCP)
Generate exhibits from the fitted result, not by retyping numbers (the usual source of
body-vs-appendix drift). Full map: execution-with-mcp. JM is empirical marketing — field experiments, panel/CRM data, and quasi-experiments; randomization inference for experiments, DiD / IV for observational claims.
- Tables:
etable (multi-model columns) 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 effect size in
interpretable units.
See a full fitted-result → exhibit chain in the JF execution walkthrough.
Checklist
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
1---2name: jm-tables-figures3description: Use when building the tables and figures for a Journal of Marketing (JM) manuscript — exact-statistic result tables, interaction/mechanism plots, and managerial-takeaway exhibits in AMA house style, all counting against the 50-page limit. Finalizes exhibits; it does not run the analysis (jm-data-analysis) or polish the prose (jm-writing-style).4---56# Tables & Figures, AMA Style (jm-tables-figures)78## When to trigger910- Results are settled and exhibits need to be built or cleaned up11- Tables show stars only, with no exact p-values, standard errors, or effect sizes12- A figure could carry the managerial takeaway better than a paragraph13- You are over the 50-page limit and exhibits are part of the budget1415## JM reporting carries into the exhibits1617JM'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.1819## Mind the 50-page budget2021JM 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.2223## What each exhibit type should do2425- **Descriptives / correlation table**: sample composition and construct relationships at a glance; reliabilities on the diagonal where multi-item scales are used.26- **Main results table(s)**: coefficients, SEs, exact p-values, effect sizes; clearly labeled models/specifications; the identification design legible from the table.27- **Interaction / mechanism figure**: simple-slopes or marginal-effects plot for moderation; a mediation diagram with indirect-effect estimates and CIs for process.28- **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.29- **Study-design / conceptual figure**: a clean model or multi-study roadmap when it aids comprehension.3031## AMA house-style essentials3233- Author-date conventions in notes; consistent decimal places; defined abbreviations.34- 12-point font; tables and figures may be single-spaced; 1-inch margins; **no** page numbers, line numbers, headers, or footers in the file.35- Each exhibit **self-contained**: a title, complete notes (N, estimator, SE type, significance reporting), and units, readable without the text.36- Number consistently and reference every exhibit in the text in order.3738## Execution bridge (StatsPAI / Stata MCP)3940Generate exhibits from the fitted result, not by retyping numbers (the usual source of41body-vs-appendix drift). Full map: [`execution-with-mcp`](../../../shared-resources/empirical-methods/execution-with-mcp.md). JM is empirical marketing — field experiments, panel/CRM data, and quasi-experiments; randomization inference for experiments, DiD / IV for observational claims.4243- **Tables:** `etable` (multi-model columns) or `did_summary_to_latex` straight from the44 `result_id`.45- **Figures:** `plot_from_result` / `enhanced_event_study_plot` / `event_study_table` —46 axis units and the SE/clustering note baked in.47- **Every note** names the estimator + clustering and states the effect size in48 interpretable units.4950See a full fitted-result → exhibit chain in the [JF execution walkthrough](../../../Journal-of-Finance-Skills/resources/worked-examples/02-execution-walkthrough.md).51## Checklist5253- [ ] Tables report exact p-values, SEs, and effect sizes (no stars-only)54- [ ] At least one exhibit conveys the managerial magnitude in real units55- [ ] Interaction plotted; mediation shown with indirect effects + CIs56- [ ] Each exhibit self-contained (title, full notes, N, estimator, units)57- [ ] Redundant tables consolidated; secondary results moved to web appendix58- [ ] Total exhibits fit within the 50-page inclusive budget59- [ ] AMA formatting: 12-pt, no page/line numbers/headers/footers6061## Anti-patterns6263- **Stars-only tables** with no exact p-values, SEs, or magnitudes.64- **Significance without managerial meaning** — no units a decision maker reads.65- **Exhibit bloat** that pushes the manuscript over 50 pages.66- **Non-self-contained exhibits** that require the text to interpret.67- **Inconsistent numbering / undefined abbreviations.**6869## Output format7071```72【Tables】exact p / SE / effect size present? specifications labeled?73【Managerial exhibit】magnitude in real units shown? where ...74【Interaction/mediation】simple slopes / indirect-effect plot present?75【Self-containment】titles + full notes + units complete?76【Page budget】exhibits fit 50-page inclusive limit? web appendix used?77【AMA format】12-pt, no page/line numbers/headers/footers: ok?78【Next step】jm-writing-style79```