Figures, Tables and Plates
It is likely that you will include figures, tables and plates (photographs) in your paper, either in the introduction, materials and methods or results sections. Although general information about using figures/tables and plates is below, check the Notes for Authors section of your chosen journal for more specific instructions.
Figures
You will generally be given instructions on the size of figure to produce. You should bear in mind that the figure may be scaled down to a fraction of its size but it should still be legible. Journals do not print in colour therefore your bars/lines must be easily differentiated using different patterns. The best (and easiest) way to test this is to print 6 copies of your graph on a single sheet of paper - can you easily read the axis and differentiate between your treatments? If your data cannot legibly be expressed as a figure, a table may be an acceptable alternative.
Tables
Although tables can be more difficult to interpret than figures, they are generally used to present large volumes of data that cannot be easily distinguished in a figure. The danger in using tables is that you include so much data it becomes impossible to decipher!
Plates
A plate can often be more descriptive and meaningful than explaining your results in words or through a figure. It is important, however, that your plate is of an extremely high quality. As with figures, plates are generally printed in black and white and therefore poor resolution and/or lighting can degrade the quality of your plate and render it useless. A good tip is to add arrows and text to your plate to highlight the areas of interest. To test the suitability of your plate, print it out in black and white with 6 plates to an A4 page. Can you clearly make out the important aspects?
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Introduction > Going Professional > Figures, Tables and Plates