Develop a template for tables to use in research reports

Leadership Network

Leadership Network fosters church innovation and growth through strategies, programs, tools and resources consistent with our far-reaching mission: to identify, connect and help high-capacity Christian leaders multiply their impact.

We write for church leaders, especially innovators, posting all our reports as free downloads on our website: http://www.leadnet.org/papers

1. Context and size: The table will be inserted in the body of research reports we generate as PDFs. The tables will horizontally on an 8.5”x11” page, thus your maximum width is 6.5” (allowing for a 1” margin on each side).

2. You can create your sample table in Excel, Word, Quark or InDesign.

3. Color: Your table should have at least two colors (black and second color), but several colors are fine.

4. Content: Your table should include:

- Headline (tell viewers the point the table is making)

- Column heads

- Rows, each of which begins with category name (left hand column)

- At bottom: one-liner “footnote” with source of information

- At bottom: one-liner “footnote” with actual wording of question

- Somewhere at bottom: Leadership Network logo

5. Major Concerns: I want the reader’s eye to see the “headline” first. I want the tables to be visually appealing, not boring. I want the content to be easy to understand.

6. Samples:

- For Outreach’s “Largest Churches in America” I like the way your eye goes first to the headline, and then to the column in red.

- For Pew’s “Figure 2.1” I do NOT like the way the headline floats, and you don’t see it unless you look for it. I do like the use of color horizontal rules, though they’re a bit too havey. I do like the shaded column, which shows you what to look at first.

7. The actual table to use is attached. Please improve it.