- Figures are useful when visually presenting data, trends, etc.
- There are many types of figures (See below for full list/description):
- Graphs
- Charts
- Maps
- Each figure is placed on a separate page at the end of the paper after any tables (or after the references, if there are no tables)
- Each figure should have a caption below it to describe its contents or any abbreviations
- Be sure that the figures are simple, clean, and free of unnecessary details
- Types of figures
- Graphs: Graphs easily convey relationships such as comparisons and distributions
- The most common graphs used are scatter plots, line graphs, bar graphs, pictorial graphs, and pie graphs
- Spreadsheet programs (e.g. Excel) can generate graphs
- Scatter plots: Scatter plots are composed of individual dots, which represent the value of a specific event on the scale established by two variables plotted on the x- and y- axes
- A cluster of dots implies a correlation between the two variables
- Scattered dots, however, indicate that there is no correlation
- Line graphs: Line graphs depict the relationship between quantitative variables
- The independent variable is plotted along the x-axis, and the dependent variable is plotted along the axis, and the dependent variable is plotted along the y-axis
- Bar graphs: There are three main types of bar graphs
Solid vertical or horizontal bars – The independent variable is categorical, and each part represents one kind of datum (singular version of data). An example would be a bar graph of weekly expenses
2. Multiple bar graphs – Multiple bar graphs present more complex information, such as weekly expenses being divided into different categories
3. Sliding bar graphs – In sliding bar graphs, the bars are divided by a horizontal line (the baseline), which enables the representation of data above and below a specific reference point (e.g. high and low expenses vs. average expenses - Pictorial graphs: Pictorial graphs show quantitative differences between groups
- These graphs can be deceptive, so great care must be taken when developing them
- Pie graphs (Circle graphs): Pie graphs typically represent percentages and proportions
- To ensure reader comprehension, no more than five variables should be compared in a single graph
- The segments (or “slices”) should be very orderly: Beginning at 12 o’clock, arrange the segments from largest to smallest, and shade the segments from dark to light (i.e., the largest segment should be the darkest segment)
- Things to remember when creating figures
- Trying to be creative when creating figures can distort the meaning of the figure, and thus hinder reader comprehension – design flaws are very noticeable to readers
- Make the figure as clear, neat, and clean as possible
- APA specifications for figures go as follows:
- Graphs: Graphs easily convey relationships such as comparisons and distributions
”The APA has determined specifications for the size of figures and the fonts used in them. Figures of one column must be between 2 and 3.25 inches wide (5 to 8.45 cm). Two-column figures must be between 4.25 and 6.875 inches wide (10.6 to 17.5 cm). The height of figures should not exceed the top and bottom margins. The text in a figure should be in a san serif font (such as Helvetica, Arial, or Futura). The font size must be between eight and fourteen point. Use circles and squares to distinguish curves on a line graph (at the same font size as the other labels).” – Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/20/
- Captions and legends
- Along with the figure number and title, be sure to include a legend and caption
- The legend and caption appear below the figure
- The legend explains the symbols
- The caption explains the figure (i.e., a brief, but complete, explanation as a title)
- Graphs should always include a legend that explains the symbols, abbreviations, and terminology in the figure
- These terms should all be consistent with those used in the text, and those used in other tables/figures
- Along with the figure number and title, be sure to include a legend and caption
(All information derived from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ and http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspx)