Writing Guidelines:• Organization and Content |
Writing Guidelines
Using Graphics
- All graphics should serve a purpose (i. e., They should illuminate and explain the information in the text of the paper.)
- All graphics should be numbered, beginning with Table 1 and Figure 1.
- Tables generally present large quantities of numerical data. Figures include anything that is not a table: (drawings, graphs, charts, photos).
- Give each graphic a functional and descriptive title. Descriptive titles typically identify all the variables in the graphic.
- Introduce each graphic in the text of your paper and explain key points about it ("Table 1 shows . . . ."). In other words, don't assume that the graphic speaks for itself. Use present tense verbs when you refer to graphics.
- Any graphic taken out of context should make sense on its own. The title, footnotes, and construction of the graphic should allow the reader to make sense of the graphic without reading the text. Use labels rather than keys or legends to identify elements of the graphic. If the graphic is not an original construction, cite the source you used to construct the graphic.
- Position the graphic just after the first point of reference to the graphic in your text. This is typically after the first paragraph in which you refer to the graphic.
The example below demonstrates how the writer has introduced the figure in the text of the paper in the paragraph which precedes the figure:
Most algae are phototropic organisms that can fabricate their own food materials through photosynthesis by using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Most algae contain chlorophyll a, a molecule that absorbs the light to enable photosynthesis. Chlorophyll a absorbs light in the blue (450 nm) and red (650 nm) wavelengths, as shown by the two peaks in Figure 4, and emits light in the green wavelength.2
Figure 4. Absorption spectrum of chlorophyll a
Source: Steer, James. Structure and Reactions of Chlorophyll.
The example below demonstrates how the writer has introduced the table in the text of the paper in the paragraph which precedes the table:
The Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP), implemented by the Florida Division of Forestry, is the only cost-share assistance program directed at increasing the productivity of NIPFs in Florida. The goal of FLEP is to “enhance the health and productivity of the non-industrial private forest lands in the United States for timber, habitat for flora and fauna, soil, water, and air quality, wetlands, and riparian buffers.” (FDOF, 2005). These multiple objectives are evidenced by the types of activities funded by the program, which are listed in Table 3. The federally funded FLEP allocates money to the states, which are given the authority to tailor the program to address the state’s specific needs. In Florida, private landowners with possession of 10 to 10,000 acres of forested land and a forest management plan are eligible to apply for the program, which covers either 50% or 75% of the cost of specified activities (FDOF, 2005). NIPF owners must agree to partake of these activities for 10 years, may treat up to 1,000 acres of their forestland per year, and may receive no more than $100,000 of the program’s total $100 million in funds for the life of the Farm Bill (USDAFS, 2005; FDOF, 2005).
