---
name: ajs-tables-figures
description: Use when building tables and figures for an American Journal of Sociology (AJS) manuscript to AJS house conventions — discrete consecutive numbering, appendix-table lettering, separate exhibit sections after the text, and mandatory alt text for every figure at submission. Prepares exhibits; it does not generate data.
---

# Tables & Figures (ajs-tables-figures)

AJS has **specific house conventions** for exhibits, and it now **requires alt text for every figure
at submission**. Get the mechanics right so the exhibits read cleanly under double-blind review and
pass straight into production. Verify current formatting against the AJS Manuscript Preparation pages
and Formatting PDF (待核实; UChicago Press pages are 403 to automated fetch).

## When to trigger

- Building or revising tables and figures for an AJS submission
- Preparing the post-text exhibit sections and appendix tables
- Writing alt text and captions
- A reader said an exhibit was unreadable, mislabeled, or non-self-contained

## AJS exhibit conventions (verify on the live prep pages / PDF)

- **Numbering:** number tables/figures **consecutively** as they appear in the text. AJS **strongly
  prefers numbering discrete items separately** (table 1, table 2, table 3 …) rather than grouping
  several panels under one number.
- **Appendix exhibits:** number as **table A1, A2 … / table B1, B2 …** (lettered by appendix).
- **Placement:** **notes, references, tables, figures, and appendices appear in separate sections
  following the text, in that order** — not embedded inline.
- **Alt text (required):** provide **alternative text for every figure, image, or inline graphic**,
  included **with the figure captions at the time of submission**.
- **Self-contained:** each exhibit readable on its own — units, N, source, and what varies stated in
  title/notes.

## Make exhibits do theoretical work

- Lead with the exhibit that carries the **main claim**; do not bury it among robustness tables.
- Prefer figures that show a **mechanism or pattern** (marginal effects, event-study, sequence,
  network structure) over dense coefficient dumps where a plot would communicate better.
- Colorblind-safe, legible in grayscale; vector output (PDF/EPS) for print.

## Anti-patterns

- Grouping panels under one number when AJS wants discrete numbering
- Embedding tables/figures inline instead of in the post-text sections
- Missing or perfunctory alt text (now required at submission)
- Exhibits that need the body text to be intelligible (no units, no N, no source)
- A wall of stars where a single figure would carry the argument

## Output format

```
【Main exhibit】the one carrying the central claim (lead with it)
【Numbering】discrete + consecutive? appendix as A1/B1? [Y/N]
【Placement】in separate post-text sections (notes/refs/tables/figures/appendices)? [Y/N]
【Alt text】present for every figure, with captions? [Y/N]
【Self-contained】units / N / source / accessible? [Y/N]
【Next】ajs-writing-style
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — plotting and exhibit tooling
- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — AJS exhibit numbering, post-text sections, and alt-text requirement