Figures
Graphs
According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association there are five different functions of figures, the first two of which will be discussed below:
Drawings
The figure to the right represents a visual interpretation of a satellite dish receiving radio waves and the computer receiving those signals and converting them into an audible signal.
When confronted with a figure or graphic, what should you know about interpreting the content?
It may help to actually write out and re-read a quick narrative when first looking at the diagram to assess whether you understand the diagram and whether it will be useful to your research.
Graphs
The graph example to the right is part of the graph wizard in Microsoft Excel. It illustrates the relationships between data.
The x-axis (horizontal) represents percentage; the y-axis (vertical) represents dollars.
The most common chart types used in journals include