A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, Ninth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2018
Figures
Tables and figures
Style
The term figure refers to a variety of images, including charts, graphs, diagrams, photographs, maps, musical examples, and drawings. Most such materials can be prepared and inserted into a paper electronically. The technical details are software-specific and too complex to be covered in this book, but some general guidelines are presented in A.3.1.
This section describes some principles for presenting two types of figures created from data: charts and graphs. It also discusses captions for figures of all kinds.
Treat a video, an animation, or any other multimedia file that cannot be presented in print form as an appendix (see A.2.3).
26.3.1 Charts and Graphs
In many situations you may choose to present data in a chart or graph. Chapter 8 lays out criteria for using these graphic forms as well as general design principles for them. It also provides examples of several different types of graphics. For detailed guidance on constructing charts and graphs, consult a reliable authority.
Each chart and graph in your paper should take the form that best communicates its data and supports its claim, but consistency both within and across these items is essential to ensure that readers will understand your data. Keep in mind the following principles when presenting charts and graphs of any type:
✵ ▪ Represent elements of the same kind—axes, lines, data points, bars, wedges—in the same way. Use distinct visual effects only to make distinctions, never just for variety.
✵ ▪ Use arabic numerals for all numerical data.
✵ ▪ Label all axes using sentence-style capitalization. Keep the labels short, following the principles outlined in 8.3.1. Use the figure caption (see 26.3.2) to explain any aspects of the data that cannot be captured in the labels. To save space, you can use abbreviations and symbols more freely than you can in text, but use them sparingly and consistently. If standard abbreviations do not exist, create your own and explain them either in the caption or, if there are many, in a list of abbreviations in your paper’s front matter (see A.2.1).
✵ ▪ Label lines, data points, and other items within the chart or graph that require explanation using either all lowercase letters (for single words) or sentence-style capitalization (for phrases). If phrases and single words both appear, they should all be styled the same (as in fig. 8.3). The other principles described above for axis labels also apply to labels of this type.
✵ ▪ Use caution in employing shading or color to convey meaning (see 8.3.2). Even if you print the paper on a color printer or submit it as a PDF, it may be printed or copied later in black and white. If you use shading, make sure it does not obscure any text in the figure, and do not use multiple shades, which might not reproduce distinctly.
26.3.2 Figure Numbers and Captions
In general, every figure in your paper should have a number and a caption. But if you include only a few figures in your paper and do not specifically refer to them in the text, omit the numbers. Figure captions may be presented in a smaller font than the rest of your text; consult your local guidelines.
On the line below the figure, write the word Figure (flush left, capitalized, in roman type), followed by the figure number (in arabic numerals), followed by a period. After a space, give the caption, usually followed by a terminal period (but see 26.3.3.2). If a caption runs onto more than one line, the runovers should be flush left, single-spaced.
Figure 6. The Great Mosque of Córdoba, eighth to tenth century.
An exception: in examples from musical scores, place the figure number and caption above the figure rather than below.
26.3.3.1 FIGURE NUMBERS. Number figures separately from tables, in the order in which you mention them in the text. If you have only a few figures, number them consecutively throughout the paper, even across chapters. If you have many figures and many chapters, use double numeration: that is, the chapter number followed by a period followed by the figure number, as in “Figure 12.4.”
When you refer to a figure in the text, specify the figure number (“in figure 3”) rather than its location (“below”), because you may end up moving the figure while editing or formatting the paper. Do not capitalize the word figure in text references to figures, and do not abbreviate it as fig. except in parenthetical references—for example, “(see fig. 10).”
26.3.3.2 FIGURE CAPTIONS. Figure captions are more varied than table titles. In some cases, captions can consist solely of a noun phrase, capitalized sentence-style (see 22.3.1), without a terminal period.
Figure 9. Mary McLeod Bethune, leader of the Black Cabinet
More complex captions begin with a noun phrase followed by one or more complete sentences. Such captions are also capitalized sentence-style but have terminal periods, even after the initial incomplete sentence. If your captions include a mix of both types, you may include a terminal period in those of the first type for consistency.
Figure 16. Benito Juárez. Mexico’s great president, a contemporary and friend of Abraham Lincoln, represents the hard-fought triumph of Mexican liberalism at midcentury. Courtesy of Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley.
When a figure has a source line, put it at the end of the caption, following the guidelines in 26.1.3.
Figure 2.7. The Iao Valley, site of the final battle. Photograph by Anastasia Nowag.
Figure 11.3. US population growth, 1900—1999. Data from US Census Bureau, “Historical National Population Estimates,” revised June 28, 2000, http://www.census.gov/popest/.
Sometimes a caption is attached to a figure consisting of several parts. Identify the parts in the caption with terms such as top, bottom, above, left to right, and clockwise from left (italicized to distinguish them from the caption itself) or with lowercase italic letters.
Figure 6. Above left, William Livingston; right, Henry Brockholst Livingston; below left, John Jay; right, Sarah Livingston Jay.
Figure 15. Four types of Hawaiian fishhooks: a, barbed hook of tortoise shell; b, trolling hook with pearl shell lure and point of human bone; c, octopus lure with cowrie shell, stone sinker, and large bone hook; d, barbed hook of human thigh bone.
If the caption for a figure will not fit on the same page as the figure itself, put it on the nearest preceding text page (see A.3.1.4), with placement identification in italics before the figure number and caption.
Next page: Figure 19. A toddler using a fourth-generation iPhone. Refinements in touchscreen technology helped Apple and other corporations broaden the target market for their products.