Tables & Figures (jppm-tables-figures)
When to trigger
- Tables report coefficients an academic can parse but a policy reader cannot
- The evaluation has no event-study figure showing pre-trends and dynamics
- Subgroup results for vulnerable populations are scattered across prose
- The tested label/warning/disclosure stimuli are described but never shown
- The 50-page all-inclusive cap forces you to choose which exhibits survive
Exhibits for a dual audience
JPP&M exhibits are read by two audiences at once: methods-literate reviewers who will interrogate the identification, and policy-oriented readers (including practitioners on the editorial board) who need the decision-relevant magnitude at a glance. Every exhibit should therefore carry two layers: the estimation detail (specification, SEs, clustering, N) in the table body and notes, and a decision-unit translation — percentage points, dollars, calories, share of consumers — in the headline row, figure annotation, or note. Because the 50-page limit includes tables and figures at every review stage, each exhibit must displace prose, not duplicate it; move the long battery to a web appendix.
The high-value JPP&M exhibits
| Exhibit |
What it must carry |
Typical failure |
| Stimuli figure |
the actual tested labels/disclosures side by side, at realistic scale |
describing formats in prose a regulator would need to see |
| Event-study figure |
pre-period placebos + dynamic effects, CI band, policy date marked |
showing only the post-period average |
| DiD table |
group-time ATT, estimator named, cluster level, pre-trend sensitivity row |
plain TWFE with stars and no diagnostics |
| RDD figure |
binned outcomes + fit on both sides, bandwidth noted; density plot nearby |
a fitted line with no raw data visible |
| Condition-contrast table |
means/effects per policy option with the pairwise contrast the decision needs |
omnibus F with no decision-mapped contrasts |
| Subgroup forest plot |
pre-specified vulnerable-group effects with corrected CIs on one axis |
significant splits in text, the rest invisible |
| Policy-translation table |
effect × exposed population = market magnitude, with assumptions listed |
leaving the rescaling to the reader |
A stimuli figure is uniquely load-bearing at this journal: agencies regulate formats, so reviewers want to see exactly what was tested and whether it is mandatable.
House conventions (AMA journals)
- Follow the AMA journals style shared across JM/JMR/JPP&M: numbered tables and figures, descriptive titles, notes defining every abbreviation, references and tables may be single-spaced while text is double-spaced (per the AMA submission guidelines — re-check current specifics on ama.org before formatting).
- Report effect sizes and confidence intervals; stars alone do not survive review.
- State the estimator, clustering level, and fixed effects in each table's note so the exhibit stands alone.
- Keep Ns visible (per cell / per group-time), including before/after exclusions.
- Figures must survive grayscale print and small reproduction — policy briefs will screenshot them.
Economy under the 50-page cap
- Budget exhibits first: typically 1 stimuli figure, 1 identification figure, 2–3 core tables, 1 subgroup display in the body; everything else to the web appendix.
- Merge robustness variants into a single compact multi-column table rather than serial near-duplicates.
- Never present the same estimate as both table and figure; pick the form the decision reader needs.
Checklist
Anti-patterns
- Coefficient wall: a 12-column regression table with no translated magnitude anywhere
- Invisible stimuli: regulating formats the reader never gets to see
- Post-only plots: dynamics figures that start at the policy date
- Star tables: significance markers standing in for effect sizes and CIs
- Subgroup scatter: heterogeneity sprinkled through prose instead of one comparable display
- Cap blindness: ten body exhibits that force the text out of the 50-page envelope
Output format
【Exhibit budget】body tables/figures list vs. web-appendix list (within 50-page cap)
【Stimuli figure】tested formats shown at scale? [Y/N]
【Identification display】event-study / RDD / placebo figure with pre-period evidence? [Y/N]
【Decision-unit layer】each body exhibit translated for the policy reader? [Y/N]
【Notes discipline】estimator, clustering, Ns, abbreviations in every note? [Y/N]
【Next skill】jppm-writing-style
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Journal-of-Public-Policy-and-Marketing-Skills/skills/jppm-tables-figures/SKILL.md
1---2name: jppm-tables-figures3description: Use when building exhibits for a Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (JPP&M) manuscript — event-study and DiD displays, condition-contrast tables, subgroup forest plots, and stimuli exhibits that a policy reader can act on. Builds the exhibits; it does not produce the estimates (jppm-data-analysis).4---567# Tables & Figures (jppm-tables-figures)89## When to trigger1011- Tables report coefficients an academic can parse but a policy reader cannot12- The evaluation has no event-study figure showing pre-trends and dynamics13- Subgroup results for vulnerable populations are scattered across prose14- The tested label/warning/disclosure stimuli are described but never shown15- The 50-page all-inclusive cap forces you to choose which exhibits survive1617## Exhibits for a dual audience1819JPP&M exhibits are read by two audiences at once: methods-literate reviewers who will interrogate the identification, and policy-oriented readers (including practitioners on the editorial board) who need the decision-relevant magnitude at a glance. Every exhibit should therefore carry **two layers**: the estimation detail (specification, SEs, clustering, N) in the table body and notes, and a **decision-unit translation** — percentage points, dollars, calories, share of consumers — in the headline row, figure annotation, or note. Because the 50-page limit *includes* tables and figures at every review stage, each exhibit must displace prose, not duplicate it; move the long battery to a web appendix.2021## The high-value JPP&M exhibits2223| Exhibit | What it must carry | Typical failure |24|---------|--------------------|-----------------|25| Stimuli figure | the actual tested labels/disclosures side by side, at realistic scale | describing formats in prose a regulator would need to see |26| Event-study figure | pre-period placebos + dynamic effects, CI band, policy date marked | showing only the post-period average |27| DiD table | group-time ATT, estimator named, cluster level, pre-trend sensitivity row | plain TWFE with stars and no diagnostics |28| RDD figure | binned outcomes + fit on both sides, bandwidth noted; density plot nearby | a fitted line with no raw data visible |29| Condition-contrast table | means/effects per policy option with the pairwise contrast the decision needs | omnibus F with no decision-mapped contrasts |30| Subgroup forest plot | pre-specified vulnerable-group effects with corrected CIs on one axis | significant splits in text, the rest invisible |31| Policy-translation table | effect × exposed population = market magnitude, with assumptions listed | leaving the rescaling to the reader |3233A stimuli figure is uniquely load-bearing at this journal: agencies regulate formats, so reviewers want to see exactly what was tested and whether it is mandatable.3435## House conventions (AMA journals)3637- Follow the **AMA journals style** shared across JM/JMR/JPP&M: numbered tables and figures, descriptive titles, notes defining every abbreviation, references and tables may be single-spaced while text is double-spaced (per the AMA submission guidelines — re-check current specifics on ama.org before formatting).38- Report **effect sizes and confidence intervals**; stars alone do not survive review.39- State the **estimator, clustering level, and fixed effects** in each table's note so the exhibit stands alone.40- Keep **Ns visible** (per cell / per group-time), including before/after exclusions.41- Figures must survive **grayscale print** and small reproduction — policy briefs will screenshot them.4243## Economy under the 50-page cap4445- Budget exhibits first: typically 1 stimuli figure, 1 identification figure, 2–3 core tables, 1 subgroup display in the body; everything else to the web appendix.46- Merge robustness variants into a single compact multi-column table rather than serial near-duplicates.47- Never present the same estimate as both table and figure; pick the form the decision reader needs.4849## Checklist5051- [ ] Each body exhibit carries both estimation detail and a decision-unit translation52- [ ] Stimuli shown as tested, at realistic scale53- [ ] Event-study / RDD figures display pre-trends or raw discontinuity, not just fits54- [ ] Estimator, clustering, FEs, and Ns named in every table note55- [ ] Subgroup effects displayed as a single corrected family (forest plot or panel)56- [ ] Effect sizes + CIs everywhere; no stars-only columns57- [ ] Body exhibits fit the 50-page all-inclusive budget; battery moved to web appendix5859## Anti-patterns6061- **Coefficient wall**: a 12-column regression table with no translated magnitude anywhere62- **Invisible stimuli**: regulating formats the reader never gets to see63- **Post-only plots**: dynamics figures that start at the policy date64- **Star tables**: significance markers standing in for effect sizes and CIs65- **Subgroup scatter**: heterogeneity sprinkled through prose instead of one comparable display66- **Cap blindness**: ten body exhibits that force the text out of the 50-page envelope6768## Output format6970```text71【Exhibit budget】body tables/figures list vs. web-appendix list (within 50-page cap)72【Stimuli figure】tested formats shown at scale? [Y/N]73【Identification display】event-study / RDD / placebo figure with pre-period evidence? [Y/N]74【Decision-unit layer】each body exhibit translated for the policy reader? [Y/N]75【Notes discipline】estimator, clustering, Ns, abbreviations in every note? [Y/N]76【Next skill】jppm-writing-style77```7879---8081**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Journal-of-Public-Policy-and-Marketing-Skills/skills/jppm-tables-figures/SKILL.md`