Formatting, citing, and referencing tables and figures

APA, Chicago, and NMBU Harvard APA have slightly different styles for visual data. As an NMBU student, you are advised to learn the specific method for presenting visual data based on the citation and referencing style you use. The best starting place for this is to visit the Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab. It is a free online resource that will provide you with updated information about how to properly format, cite, and reference your visual data.

Information on APA style:
General Format

Information on Chicago style
Illustrations and Tables

Purdue Owl APA 7th Referencing manual for formatting, citing, and referencing visual data
APA Tables and Figures 1

Labeling figures and tables

Independent of the formatting style you have chosen to use for your figures and tables, all figures and tables must include a label. The label assists your reader to interpret your figure or table and should contain sufficient information so that your reader can read and understand the table or graph without reading your main text. The label description should, therefore, contain a rather extensive description, but should not interpret the main findings of the figure.

Using your own tables and figures vs. using another author's tables and figures

You may need to present figures to provide a clearer sense of your research, or data, to the reader. Using images, photographs, diagrams, maps, etc., can also be useful to help convey meaning. You are free to use any figures that you create based on your own data, or any illustrations or photographs that you have taken, but you can also use other people's figures and images.

However, if you are planning on using figures that are not your own, you MUST contact the owner of the figure and secure their permission to use the figure for your own use. It is not enough to simply cite the visual, and you should contact the owner of the image to ensure that you may reproduce or alter their original content before using it in your own work.