Using images, tables & other visual material in your work

Notes are have extra information about a figure, for example:

• explaining abbreviations or units of measurement used in the figure;
• detailing how the figure was was created or adapted;
• or giving further context to the figure.

If there is no key, you can use the notes to explain the meaning of the symbols, colours, patterns and line styles used in the figure.

Adding notes

Notes are added underneath the figure, and underneath the caption if that has been placed below the figure.

There are two types of note that a figure can have: 

• General notes apply to the figure as a whole. 
• Specific notes only apply to a specific part of the figure, such as a cell, row or column. They are most commonly used with tables. There will be an indication on the figure to show where the specific note applies. 

General notes

Precede any general notes with Notes., to make it clear that the information is a note attached to the figure and not part of the surrounding text. 

Place any general notes a figure has on a separate line before any specific notes. 

Specific notes

To indicate which part of the figure the specific note applies to, add a superscript lowercase letter to the appropriate part of the figure (eg, a, b, c  ). Each part of the specific note then starts with the superscript letter to which it relates. There is no need to put each specific note on a separate line from the other specific notes. 

Place any specific notes a figure has on a separate line after any general notes. 

A key will explain the meaning of the symbols, colours, patterns and line styles used in the figure. Keys are most commonly used with graphs, charts, diagrams and maps.

Keys are sometimes known as legends. 

Adding keys

A key will normally appear within or directly below the figure it describes and counts as part of that figure.