Figures

Whereas tables are useful to present detailed data or findings, well drawn figures can convey complicated patterns more effectively.

The ordering of figures must follow the order in which they are mentioned in the text. Every figure must be cited, by number, at least once within the text.

Each figure caption begins with the word `Figure' or the abbreviation `Fig.' followed by a number and a full stop (or a colon). The caption should allow the figure to be understood by itself and should be placed below the figure. Figure captions should include a statement of the disease of interest, the number of observations in the study, the country, and details of the study period. For example:

Figure 1: Weekly hazard of foot-and-mouth disease infection for cattle holdings (solid lines) and ‘other' holdings (dashed lines) in Cumbria and Devon (Great Britain) in 2001. Vertical lines mark the four time periods described (20 February to 28 March 2001, 29 March to 23 May 2001, 24 May to 18 July 2001, and 19 July to 30 September 2001, respectively).

The abbreviation of `Figures' is `Figs', with no full stop.
Figures themselves should be free of explanatory wording --- apart from brief identifications.
Assuming the type script is double-spaced, all figure captions should be 1.5 spaced in order to distinguish them from the body of the text.

Symbols for physical quantities are printed in italics, but the symbols for unit names are printed in ordinary type. For example, Y (L) describes milk yield (Y) expressed as litres. Suppose we have a graph in which milk yield (Y) is plotted along one axis. A particular value may be Y = 35L. Treating the unit as an algabreic expression we can write Y/L = 35. So we put 35 on the graph and the axis is labelled as Y/L.

Many software packages produce figures with thin lines that are unsuitable for publication, such as those displayed in Figure 1. Either override the software defaults or get another software package. Figure lines should be broad and black, and labeling text should be large enough to be legible after reduction to a single column. Figure 2 shows a better version of the same figure, in which the strokes for all characters and lines are thicker, tick marks are longer, the lines and data points used for the male and female data are different, and arrows have been added. Both versions illustrate properly labeled axes with units of measure and tick marks that go out rather than in, to avoid encroaching on the graph.

$\TeX \begin{figure}[h] \centering \includegraphics[width=12.85cm]{../images/figure_bad.png} \caption{Figure with type and line strokes that are too small.} \label{fig:figure_bad} \end{figure}$

Figure 1: Figure with type and line strokes that are too small.

$\TeX \begin{figure}[h] \centering \includegraphics[width=12.91cm]{../images/figure_good.png} \caption{Figure with more easily read characters and lines, and other improvements.} \label{fig:figure_good} \end{figure}$

Figures

Figure 1: Figure with type and line strokes that are too small.

Figure 2: Figure with more easily read characters and lines, and other improvements.