Can I Insert Graphs in APA Style?

Academic conventions require uniform standards for published material. Different disciplines have distinct formatting guidelines. Humanities texts often rely on the Modern Language Association's style guide, for example. Texts in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and anthropology, usually draw on the American Psychological Association's style. APA format covers everything from punctuation marks to footnotes to graphs and tables. It's important to follow the APA guidelines accurately, as doing so imbues your work with a professional appearance and enhances its chances for publication.
  1. Clarity

    • Make sure the graphs, including lines and points, are clear and legible. Make sure the width-to-length proportion has not been distorted and that captions and labels are easy to read. The graph should not have superfluous data.

    Numbering and Labeling

    • Assign numbers to the graphs in ascending numerical order (Figure 1, Figure 2). Capitalize and italicize the titles of graphs, and place captions below the graph, aligned to the right. The x and y axes should be labeled.

    In-Text Reference

    • One of the APA's guidelines is that any graph must be referenced and explained within the text. In other words, don't include a graph that is designed to be supplementary but is not specifically addressed by the text of the paper.

    Other Specifications

    • Column width should be between 2 inches and 3.25 inches; for double-column graphs, the width must be between 4 and 6.75 inches. Make sure abbreviations and symbols are defined in a separate legend, if not already explained in the text. The graph should not contain borders.

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