Placing and labeling visuals

A visual may be placed in the text of a document, near a discussion to which it relates, or it can be put in an appendix, labeled, and referred to in the text.

Placing visuals in the text of a document can be tricky. Usually you will want the visual to appear close to the sentences that relate to it, but page breaks won’t always allow this placement. At times you may need to insert the visual at a later point and tell readers where it can be found. Sometimes, with the help of your word processor, you can make the text flow around the visual.

No matter where you place a visual, refer to it in your text. Don’t expect visuals to speak for themselves.

Most of the visuals you include in a document will require some sort of label. Labels, which are typically placed above or below the visuals, should be brief but descriptive. Most commonly, a visual is labeled with the word “Figure” or the abbreviation “Fig.,” followed by a number: Fig. 4. Sometimes a title might be included to explain how the visual relates to the text: Fig. 4. Voter turnout by age.

Example of figure with number and label

Example of table with number and label

Related topics:

Choosing appropriate visuals

Types of visuals to suit your purpose

Using visuals responsibly