Designing tables and graphics

Graphics are important communication devices and can often be used effectively to represent information in less space and with greater clarity than written prose (Durbin, 2004). There are many instances where images are more powerful, entertaining and stimulating communicators than words; they fire the imagination, prompt pattern recognition (of illnesses, for example), and communicate relationships (such as locations, levels and rates). In academic writing, everything outside the main text body is ither a fi gure or a table. A table is characterised by horizontal rows and related vertical columns, each with its own heading. Tables are used to communicate both qualitative and quantitative data. All other forms of graphics, including diagrams, charts, photographs, pictures, maps, icons, graphic organisers and drawings are called figures .