{"id":68,"date":"2017-12-17T13:06:57","date_gmt":"2017-12-17T18:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/technicalwriting2ed\/chapter\/figurestables\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:38:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:38:28","slug":"figurestables","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/technicalwriting2ed\/chapter\/figurestables\/","title":{"raw":"3.3 Figures and Tables","rendered":"3.3 Figures and Tables"},"content":{"raw":"Visual elements such as graphs, charts, tables, photographs, diagrams, and maps capture your readers\u2019 attention and help them to understand your ideas more fully. They are like the illustrations that help tell the story. These visuals help to augment your written ideas and simplify complicated textual descriptions. They can help the reader understand a complicated process or visualize trends in the data.\r\n\r\nThe key concept to remember here is that visuals clarify<\/em>, illustrate,<\/em> and augment<\/em> your written text; they are not a replacement<\/em> for written text. The old adage, \u201ca picture is worth a thousand words\u201d may not always not hold true in technical writing, but adding a visual may save you a hundred words or so of additional explanation or follow-up clarification.\r\n\r\nIf you have visual elements in your document, they must be based on and supplement your written content. Throwing in \u201cgratuitous graphics\u201d just to decorate or take up space can confuse your reader.\r\n\r\n\"yinIt is important to choose the right kind of visual to clearly convey the story you want your reader to understand. If visuals are poorly chosen or poorly designed for the task, they can actually confuse the reader rather than clarify ideas. For example, it's very likely that the first thing you noticed when you opened this page was the image above. Did you wonder why is it there? Has it distracted you?\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Conventions for Integrating Visuals<\/h1>\r\n

Each style of visual has its own conventions that you will recognize after you have seen enough of them. In addition, different publications have different style guides that dictate the specifics of how to format and integrate visual elements. In general, however, whenever you integrate any kind of visual, you should adhere to five key conventions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Five Conventions for Integrating Visual Elements into your Document<\/strong><\/header>\r\n
\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. CAPTION<\/strong>:\u00a0 Give each visual a numbered caption that includes a clear descriptive title (For example, if the image above had a caption, it would be something like this:\u00a0 Figure 1<\/strong><\/em>. Yin Yang image as example of a gratuitous graphic element<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. DISCUSS<\/strong>:\u00a0 Refer to the caption number within the body text and discuss its content (don't leave a figure or table to \"speak for itself\"). For example, in the body paragraph, I might add Figure 1<\/strong> is meant to be an example of a gratuitous graphic that serves no purpose<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. LABLEL<\/strong>:\u00a0 Clearly label all units (x and y axes, legends, column box heads, parts of diagrams, etc.<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. CITE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Provide the source of the data and\/or visual image if you did not create it yourself. You can include the citation in the body text where you refer to the image or at the end of the caption.<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. ACCURACY<\/strong>: Make sure you are not misrepresenting or distorting the data or image. Represent data accurately and use high quality images.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nIn addition, visual elements should be surrounded with sufficient passive space to emphasize the image and enhance its readability. If copying and pasting an image, make sure all elements are clear and the print size is readable. A visual that has been shrunk down to an unreadable size does not help the reader understand your ideas. Similarly, a poor quality image that pixelates when expanded will seem amateurish. Whenever\u00a0 possible, try to orient the visual image in the same direction as the body text.\r\n\r\nExamine Figure 3.3.1<\/strong> below. Do you understand what information it conveys? What story it's trying to tell? What is missing? Which of the five conventions have not been followed?\r\n
    \"A<\/a>
    Figure 3.3.1 <\/strong>[Image Description]<\/a>\r\n<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\nIf you look carefully, you might be able to guess something about the story this graph is telling. However, the lack of a descriptive caption and labelling of axes makes it impossible to know the full context. It also lacks a citation, so the reader cannot go to the source or know where the data came from. Compare it to Figure 3.3.2<\/strong> below.<\/a>\r\n
    \"A<\/a>
    Figure 3.3.2<\/strong> Water Consumption in Edmonton during the 2010 Gold Medal Hockey Game<\/em>. [footnote]EPCOR, Edmonton\u2019s Water Utility. \u201cWater Consumption in Edmonton during 2010 Gold Medal hockey game,\u201d Cited on Flowing Data[Online] Available:https:\/\/flowingdata.com\/2010\/03\/09\/canada-the-country-that-pees-together-stays-together\/<\/a> [\/footnote] [Image description]<\/a><\/figcaption>
    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\nFigure 3.3.2<\/strong> has a numbered caption (which I have just referred to in my paragraph), a descriptive title indicating what the data visualization is about, and properly labelled x and y axes and legends. With this added information, the story starts to take shape. The graph tells the story of the fluctuating water demand in Edmonton during the 2010 Olympic gold medal hockey game. If you add some context that flushing of toilets is one of the main drivers of water demand, the story comes into focus. We can imagine hockey fans enjoying beverages during each period, and \"holding it\" until until the end of the period so they don't miss an exciting play. Then they all go to the bathroom between periods. The figure also cites the source the graph was retrieved from in the caption using an in-text citation, which is linked to a full reference below. Therefore, if you want to assess the credibility of the source or need more information about this data, you can find it. The original image has not been distorted in any way and all elements are clearly readable. Thus, Figure 3.3.2<\/strong> follows the five conventions\u00a0 listed above.\r\n

    In addition to those five conventions, there are specific guidelines for implementing them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    Guidelines for Integrating Graphics<\/strong><\/header>\r\n
    \r\n

    Terminology<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nVisual elements are referred to as either Tables <\/strong>or Figures<\/strong>. Tables<\/strong> are made up of rows and columns and the cells usually have numbers in them (but may also have words or images). Figures<\/strong> refer to any visual elements\u2014graphs, charts, diagrams, photos, etc<\/em>.\u2014that are not Tables. They may be included in the main sections of the report, or if they contain supplemental material they may be contained in an appendix. Try to ensure that figures and tables are not broken over two pages. If a table require a full page, consider whether it might be better placed in an appendix.\r\n

    Labelling<\/strong> T<\/strong>ab<\/strong>l<\/strong>es<\/strong> and<\/strong> F<\/strong>i<\/strong>gu<\/strong>re<\/strong>s<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n

    Tables and figures must all be labelled with numbered captions that clearly identify and describe them. Table captions\u00a0must<\/strong> be placed above<\/em> the tables. This is because we conventionally read tables from the top down, and therefore want to see the caption at the top. <\/span>Figure captions are generally placed below the figures, as these<\/span> are not always read top down; however, you have some choice here. When you open a page and see a figure, the first thing you want to know is \u201cwhat is that?\u201d The caption below it should immediately identify what the figure represents for the reader. If you choose to place figure captions above the figures, do so consistently throughout your document. If you use Word's \"insert caption\" function, it will automatically place table captions above and figure captions below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

    Use the following conventions to assist the reader in understanding your graphics:<\/p>\r\n\r\n