Figures should be
labeled with a number followed by a descriptive caption or title
. Captions should be concise but comprehensive. They should describe the data shown, draw attention to important features contained within the figure, and may sometimes also include interpretations of the data.
How do you write a description of a figure?
- Keep the description as short as possible.
- Consider both the content and the function of the figure. …
- Make the first sentence a ‘title’ less than 125 characters long.
- Go from general to more specific details.
- Use the same writing style and terminology as the main text.
How do you start a figure caption?
- Select the object (table, equation, figure, or another object) that you want to add a caption to.
- On the References tab, in the Captions group, click Insert Caption.
- In the Label list, select the label that best describes the object, such as a figure or equation.
What should be included in a figure legend?
- Title: A brief title that applies to the entire figure, including all panels. …
- Materials and methods: A description of the techniques used. …
- Results: A statement of the results that can be gleaned from the particular figure. …
- Definitions: An explanation of features in the figure.
What is a figure legend caption?
A legend provides a mapping that tells you what are being represented by the symbols in a graphic, usually a chart. A caption is
some text accompanying a graphic
, for example a chart. … It just provides some textual description of the graphic.
How do you describe a chart?
A chart is a graphical representation for data
visualization
, in which “the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart”. A chart can represent tabular numeric data, functions or some kinds of quality structure and provides different info.
What does a table of figures look like?
A table of figures is a list, sorted by page number, of the captions pulled from figures, images, or tables in your document. It’s
like a table of contents
, but it’s a table of anything to which you can add a caption.
What is a table caption?
A caption functions like a heading for a table. Most screen readers announce the content of captions. Captions help
users to find a table and understand what it’s about and decide if they want to read it
. If the user uses “Tables Mode”, captions are the primary mechanism to identify tables.
Where should captions be placed?
- A figure caption is centered under the figure; a table caption is centered above the table (if a caption is more than one line, make it left justified).
- A Figure and its caption should appear on the same page.
- All captions should start with a capitalized word and end with a period.
What is legend in a figure?
A figure legend is
a chunk of text that accompanies each figure in a laboratory report
. Its purpose is to explain the figure clearly and thoroughly, providing readers with all the information necessary to understand the figure without returning to the main text of the lab report.
What are examples of legends?
We sometimes say of someone who is extremely famous that they are a “legend” or “of legendary fame”. Examples of legends are
Ali Baba, the Fountain of Youth, Paul Bunyan, Kraken, Atlantis, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot
. Some legends are stories about real people; others are not.
What is figure legend in table?
Table legends
go above the body of the Table and are left justified
; Tables are read from the top down. Figure legends go below the graph and are left justified; graphs and other types of Figures are usually read from the bottom up.
What is a figure key?
Figure keys
provide additional information to interpret the data in a figure
. Keys can define the color codes that indicate number ranges, for example. If you can interpret the figure without the key, then the key information should be moved to the figure legend to keep the figure as simple as possible.
How do you use figure legends?
- Title– The title of a figure legend should describe the figure, clearly and succinctly. …
- Methods– These methods are meant to be VERY brief and to describe the design of your experiment. …
- Results– Here, you provide a single sentence on the results shown in the figure.
How do you write a good figure legend?
17 Tips for Writing Effective Figure Titles and Legends. Keep the
average length around 100-300 words
. Use complete sentences to aid comprehension, but phrases are permissible. Use the same abbreviations, terminology, and units as in the body of your article, particularly in Methods and Results.
