A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, 7th edition - Kate L. Turabian 2007

Table numbers and titles
Tables and figures
Part III. Style 20 spelling

In general, every table should have a number and a title. Place these items flush left on the line above the table, with the word Table (capitalized, in roman type), followed by the table number (in arabic numerals), followed by a period. After a space, give the title without a terminal period. Capitalize the title sentence style (see 22.3.1). If a title runs onto more than one line, the runovers should be flush left, single-spaced.

Table 13. Yen-dollar ratios in Japanese exports, 1995—2005

A simple tabulation that can be introduced clearly in the text, such as a simple two-column list, need not be numbered or titled.

Chicago's population grew exponentially in its first century:

1840 4,470

1870 298,977

1900 1,698,575

1930 3,376,438

TABLE NUMBERS. Number tables separately from figures, in the order in which you mention them in the text. If you have only a few tables, number them consecutively throughout the paper, even across chapters. If you have many tables and many chapters, use double numeration: that is, the chapter number, followed by a period, followed by the table number, as in Table 12.4.

When you refer to a table in the text, specify the table number (“in table 3”) rather than its location (“below”) because you may end up moving the table while editing or formatting the paper. Do not capitalize the word table in text references to tables.

TABLE TITLES. Keep table titles short but descriptive enough to indicate the specific nature of the data and to differentiate tables from one another. For discussion of good titling practices, see 8.3.1. Table titles may be presented in a smaller typeface than the rest of your text; consult your local guidelines.