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Three-Line Table Guide (GB/T Chinese Thesis)

This guide defines the standard for professional academic tables in Chinese theses using the "three-line" (booktabs) convention, following GB/T 7714 and common university thesis requirements.

Three-Line Table Standard

A three-line table has exactly three horizontal rules and no vertical lines:

  1. Top rule (\toprule): above column headers
  2. Mid rule (\midrule): below column headers, above data rows
  3. Bottom rule (\bottomrule): below the last data row

Anti-Patterns (must flag)

  • Vertical lines (| in column spec, \vline)
  • Internal horizontal lines (\hline or \cline between data rows)
  • Using \hline instead of booktabs commands
  • Missing \usepackage{booktabs} in preamble

Minimal Correct Example

latex
\begin{table}[htbp]
  \caption{不同模型的准确率比较(\%)}
  \label{tab:accuracy}
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{lSSS}
    \toprule
    模型 & {精确率} & {召回率} & {F1值} \\
    \midrule
    基线模型   & 85.3 & 82.1 & 83.7 \\
    本文方法   & \textbf{91.2} & \textbf{89.5} & \textbf{90.3} \\
    \bottomrule
  \end{tabular}
\end{table}

Caption and Numbering (GB/T)

  • Caption position: above the table
  • Numbering format: "表 3-1" or "表3.1" (chapter-based), Song typeface 5-point (宋体五号)
  • Label: immediately after caption (\label{tab:...})
  • Table note: below the table, starting with "注:" (Chinese) or "Note." (English)

Decimal Alignment

Use the siunitx package S column type to align numbers by decimal point:

latex
\usepackage{siunitx}
\sisetup{detect-weight, mode=text}

When siunitx is unavailable, right-align numeric columns with r.

Statistical Significance Markers

SymbolMeaning
*p < 0.05
**p < 0.01
***p < 0.001

Place significance markers immediately after the value: 91.2***.

Number Precision Rules

Data typePrecisionExample
Percentage1 decimal place85.3%
Mean +/- SD2 decimal places3.14 +/- 0.05
p-value3 significant figures0.003
Large countsNo decimals1,024

Precision must be consistent within each column.

Bold Best Values

In comparison tables, bold the best value in each column. Add direction indicators when ambiguous:

  • higher is better
  • lower is better

Word Compatibility Note

When submitting thesis with .docx:

  1. Create a standard table in Word
  2. Select all -> Borders -> No Border
  3. Add top border, header bottom border, and table bottom border
  4. Result: three-line table matching booktabs aesthetic

Released under the MIT License.