Figures & Captions. A writing guide for NEUR310: Research Methods

Figures.

A figure may be a chart, graph, a photograph, schematic, drawing, or any other non-text, illustration/ depiction. Any type of illustration other than a table is referred to as a figure. Use figures to complement or simplify the text of a paper.

In text, refer to every figure

E.g. “As shown in Figure 1, the ….” Or …..(see Figure 1).

Figures should be numbered in the order in which they appear in the text, beginning with Figure 1. (Even if the first figure you encounter in the text is the last figure you created).

Figures are NOT embedded in the text. They get their own separate page at the end of the document, AFTER the references!

Figures and captions should be simple, clear, and consistent in presentation and labels.

General figure formatting:

Figure numbers should be in bold and flush to the left one double-spaced line about the figure itself.

Figures should be large enough to read easily (minimum size 12 font on labels/ legends/ axes).

Avoid redundancies on your graph

No grid lines

Axis labels on graphs should be parallel to their axes

Figure Captions.

Figures in most scholarly journals and other published works typically use captions instead of titles. Figure captions go UNDER the figure.

Components:

Captions should be concise but comprehensive. They should include a title (either bold or italic), describe the data shown, & draw attention to important features contained within the figure.

1. The title:

The title should tell the readers “This is what this figure is about” very clearly. Use active voice, and keep it short.

It can be a sentence that summarize the major result seen in the figure:

E.g., Hippocampal neurons derived from patients with bipolar disorder show hyperexcitability.

E.g., Miracle drug dose-dependently impairs memory ability

Or, make it a phrase stating the type of analysis used.

E.g., Quantification of XYZ gene expression using RT-PCR.

E.g., Drug-induced changes in memory ability using the spontaneous alternation test

2. The methods:

This is where things tend to get out of hand. It is true that you should include lots of details, like assay name, antibodies used, cell type or animal model, treatments and controls, statistical tests, numbers of replicates, etc. The figure must be able to stand alone. You want your readers to understand it without going back to the method section.

On the other hand, you don’t have to rewrite the method section. Limit the caption to the absolute minimum that is required to understand the figure.

E.g., Average expression of representative genes involved in the PKA/PKC and AP firing systems revealed by RNA-seq (a) and qRT–PCR (b) analysis (normal, n=4; BD, n=6 lines).

E.g., Rats (N = 24) received either vehicle (n = 8), low (n = 8), or the high (n = 8) dose of miracle drug 30 minutes prior to spontaneous alternation testing. Data are expressed as the mean % alternation score (# alternations / number of arm entries) +/- the standard error of the mean (SEM).

3. The results:

You don’t always need to discuss the results in your figure caption. However, if you have statistical markers on your graph, you MUST define them in the caption. (Otherwise your reader does not know what the star symbol means). You may choose to include the name of the statistical test used to analyze the data, but the actual inferential statistics go in the written results section.

E.g. Data were analyzed using a 1-WAY ANOVA. *= p < 0.05 vs. Vehicle. += p < 0.05 vs. Low

General figure caption guidelines:

1. Avoid clutter

When possible, place all labels on the graphics. That will make it easier to read both the graphs and the legends.

Tone down on abbreviations. If you must use them, make sure they are consistent with the text of the paper, and that they are common acronyms and not the obscure system that only your lab uses to manage the tubes. (Also, if you have “codes” for blinding, make sure you substitute the actual group name for your final figure).

2. Pick a good font

Font options include the following: sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode. serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX).

Whatever font you choose, be consistent.

3. Sizing and margins:

Legends should match the width of the figures, and should be located BELOW the figure (charts, graphs, images, etc).

Legends should be left justified. And don’t forget the period after Figure x. Not comma, not colon. A period.

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