What's the best way to choose and format visual aids for your article?

2 Criteria for choosing visual aids

When choosing visual aids for your article, you should consider four main criteria: relevance, clarity, accuracy, and ethics. Relevance means that your visual aids should support and complement your text, not distract or contradict it. Clarity means that your visual aids should be easy to understand and interpret, not confusing or ambiguous. Accuracy means that your visual aids should be based on reliable and valid data, not misleading or distorted. Ethics means that your visual aids should respect the rights and dignity of your sources, not violate copyright or privacy laws.

3 Formatting and labeling visual aids

Formatting and labeling visual aids are important steps to ensure their consistency and readability. Formatting refers to the appearance and layout of your visual aids, such as the size, color, font, alignment, and spacing. Labeling refers to the titles, captions, legends, keys, and references that accompany your visual aids, such as the name, source, date, and explanation of your visual aids. You should follow the formatting and labeling rules of the style guide or journal that you are writing for, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, or IEEE. You should also use a consistent numbering system for your visual aids, such as Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, Table 2, and so on.

4 Placement and integration of visual aids

Placement and integration of visual aids are crucial aspects to ensure their coherence and relevance. Placement refers to the location and position of your visual aids in your article, such as in the text, in an appendix, or online. Integration refers to the connection and transition between your text and your visual aids, such as the introduction, discussion, and citation of your visual aids. You should place your visual aids close to the text that they relate to, unless they are too large or numerous. You should also integrate your visual aids smoothly and logically with your text, using clear signals and references.

5 Editing and reviewing visual aids

Editing and reviewing visual aids are essential steps to ensure their quality and effectiveness. Editing refers to the process of checking and correcting your visual aids for errors, inconsistencies, or improvements, such as the spelling, grammar, punctuation, style, and design of your visual aids. Reviewing refers to the process of evaluating and testing your visual aids for feedback, suitability, or impact, such as the clarity, accuracy, ethics, and appeal of your visual aids. You should edit and review your visual aids several times, using different tools and methods, such as spell checkers, peer reviewers, or online platforms.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?