Incorporating figures, tables, and equations

There are conventions for using figures and tables in a report. Usually only these two categories are used; anything other than tables (maps, charts, diagrams, drawings, graphs) is called a figure. Figures and tables should be placed as close as possible to the point at which they are referred to in the text.

Give all figures and tables a number and title.

Example

Table 1 Existing communication channels

Refer to each figure and table in the text of the report.

Example

The communication channels in the organization are shown in Table 1.

The title of a table goes above the table, while the title of a figure goes below the figure.

Figures that are copied from someone else's work, published or unpublished, must be correctly referenced. Give the source of the diagram or the data if you have taken them from published sources. The citation should be placed in brackets after the figure or table title, and the source included in the References list.

Equations

You will often have to include equations in your reports. The conventional style for presenting equations is as follows:

• Centre the equation on the page
• Place the equation number in round brackets at the right-hand margin
• In the text of your report, refer to the equations as either Eq. (1) or equation (1). Use whichever format you choose consistently throughout your report.