Creating & Formatting a Figure

A figure title simplifies or enhances a readers understanding of the data. Figures are numbered (in bold) and the title is placed above the figure. Like tables, the title of the figure should be one double spaced line below the figure number, italicized, and capitalised. The Figure should use font consistent with the text in your work, that is, Times New Roman size 12. A note directly below the Figure is used to clarify content for reader. Similar to tables, you need to refer to the figure in text BEFORE it appears on the page, e.g. "As see in Figure 2". Avoid the use of colour except in rare cases where the figure will be enhanced (more so at thesis level). Use shadings to distinguish bars or other elements. Do not split a figure and/or its title over two pages. If two figures are going to be compared ensure that they have the same unit increments and starting point on the axes. Figures 1 and 2 provide examples of how to present a figure in APA style. If you would like further information about creating figures, follow the guidelines in The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition). You can find this book in the GU library.

For examples of figures and step-by-step video instructions detailing how to create and format a figure see below.

Creating & Formatting a Figure
A figure simplifies or enhances a readers understanding of the data. When creating a figure, the type of chart or picture you choose to display will depend on the data or information you are communicating to your reader. The process for creating graphical figures is dependent on the type of analysis you are conducting. Below are two videos on how to APA format a figure in both SPSS and Microsoft Excel. For more information on how to display your figure according to the APA publication manual see the Results.
Figure Presenting a Causal Relationship Between the Variables

Figure 1



Measures of Child and Couple Factors in Families

Figure Presenting Descriptive Data (Means and Standard Errors)

Figure 2



Mean Frequency of Coping Resource Use For Younger (n = 96) and Older (n = 106) Adults


Note: Error bars reflect 1 Standard Error (+SE).

View the video below to see how to create and format a Figure in SPSS.

View the video below to see how to create and format a Figure using Microsoft Excel.