All illustrations, such as drawings, graphs, and photographs, are considered figures. GSA has specific guidelines for creating figures.
Lines and Labels in Graphs, Maps and Legends
- Use clean black lines between 1 point and 2 points.
- Include latitude and longitude, a north arrow, and a scale in kilometers when using maps.
- All axes and lines must be labeled on graphs.
- General titles of figures should appear in the figure caption, not in the figure itself.
Lettering
- Use sans serif typeface (such as Arial or Helvetica).
- Lettering must be between 7 point and 12 point type size.
- Avoid the use of boldface lettering.
Figure Captions
- Label each caption with the figure number.
- Explain all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure or refer to a previous figure that explains them.
- Label figure parts with letters and use those letters, in parentheses, to separate parts of the caption.