FOR ALL VISUALS
- Don’t use a visual if the information is easily conveyed in writing within the main text.
- Use the type of visual that presents the information most clearly.
- Is a table or figure better?
- If a figure, which type of figure is best?
- Design the visual.
- Decide what you are trying to communicate and craft the visual to accomplish that.
- Don’t copy output from code/software directly into your paper. (Code output is for you, not your readers!)
- Use words, not variable names, whenever possible.
- Round all quantities appropriately.
- Don’t paste numerical output from code.
- Don’t include more digits than are meaningful for the context.
- Include a title and caption
- Titles should be simple, descriptive, and specific to the content of the visual.
- Captions should include information that can help readers understand the visual while their eyes are on it.
FOR GRAPHS
- Make sure everything on the graph is easy to see/read.
- Label axes—clearly. Use large, sans serif fonts.
- When feasible, avoid legends and label curves directly instead.
- Choose colors and symbols carefully.
- Avoid symbols that are confusing when overlapping.
- Select colors intentionally. Use palettes that are color-blind-friendly and distinguishable when printed in grayscale.
- Use redundant indicators to differentiate different groups of data (e.g., both color and shape).
FOR TABLES
- Think carefully about what quantities to present to readers—given what you want them to see.
- For example, functions of parameters may be more important than the values of parameters themselves (particularly for interactions and polynomials)
- Choose the order of rows and columns carefully.
- Is there a conventional order that readers will expect? If yes, stick to it.
- If not, consider natural ordering of numerical values or placing the most important information on top.
- Don’t use more rows or columns than necessary.
- For example: keep all parts of a confidence interval together in one column.