[Tex/LaTex] What are some best practices for the typography of tables and figures

best practicesfloatstypography

I put captions above my tables and below my figures. I use the booktabs package (and no vertical lines) for my tables.

Do I show both tables and figures (graphs) for the same data? If so, in what order?

In general, should I use [h], [t], or [b] at all? When I should I use them? Is it okay for several floats to stack up on a page by themselves?

Is it necessary to have a list of tables and a list of figures? If so, where? At the beginning (after the table of contents)? At the end of each chapter? At the end, before the index? (My particular use case is a thesis, but answers for all document types are appreciated.)

EDIT: Also, where should tables and figures be placed in the source document? Definitely within the same section that references the table or figure, but in general before, in-between, or after the paragraphs in question?

Best Answer

If you are writing a thesis, look at the style your university is demanding (or else you will be shooting your own feet)

Nevertheless, these are my opinions:

General

You are doing it right by putting captions -- above for tables and below for figures. And use of booktabs and ditching vertical lines adds to the taste.

Showing both tables and graphs for the same data may be subjective. If you want to display the exact values and also the trend of variation, both will help. If you have too much data, then showing them through a graph will be a better idea (Reviewers don't read/like too much data). Further, space constraints influence this issue to some extent. Personally I am against showing both.

Thesis (report or book)

In a big document like thesis, it will be better to put the figures and tables close to where they are mentioned in text. By using the options [htb] you are giving latex more freedom to adjust float placement (at which latex is good). Stacking several floats in the same page is only a matter of personal preference and as long as it doesn't destroy readability, I don't find any thing wrong in it.

Also, it will be better to have a LoT and LoF if you have a large number of those things. It will make navigation much easier. They are generally put in the front matter (place where your certificates, preface/abstracts come), after the table of contents.

Article

If you are submitting your article to a journal/conference, beware of the style they want. If it is the case, you don't have freedom but to use their style file.

As space may become a constraint here, putting both graph and table should be avoided. Whatever is written above for figures is still valid for floats, here also. Now the inclusion of LoT and LOF will become a matter of personal preference. As your manuscript may not grow beyond, say, 20-25 pages, I feel that they won't be necessary.

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] How to put figures and tables together (in the same page) at the end? And leave some in the text

This is all easily possibly using the caption package. Insert the figure you're referencing in your document in the usual way, and add all the remaining figures/tables inside a single float (or two, if need be).

enter image description here

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{caption,lipsum}% http://ctan.org/pkg/{caption,lipsum}
\begin{document}
\tableofcontents
\listoffigures
\listoftables

\section{A section}

\lipsum[1]
\begin{figure}[ht]
  \caption{This is a figure referenced in the document}
\end{figure}
\lipsum[2-50]

\clearpage

\begin{figure}[ht]
  \centering
  \rule{100pt}{20pt}
  \captionof{table}{This is a table}
  \rule{100pt}{20pt}
  \captionof{table}{This is a table}
  \rule{100pt}{20pt}
  \captionof{figure}{This is a figure}
  \rule{100pt}{20pt}
  \captionof{figure}{This is a figure}
  \rule{100pt}{20pt}
  \captionof{table}{This is a table}
\end{figure}

\end{document}

caption's \captionof{<float>}{<caption>} allows you to specify the caption of <float> even if you're in a different floating environment. In my MWE, I've mixed the captions of figure and table inside a single figure floating environment.

[Tex/LaTex] Combined list of tables and figures with separate numbering

You can have figure information saved in the same place as the tables, and hence output at the same time, by adding the following lines in your preamble:

\makeatletter
\def\ext@figure{lot}
\makeatother

\renewcommand*\listtablename{List of Figures and Tables}

Here is a minimal working example:

\documentclass{article}

\makeatletter
\def\ext@figure{lot}
\makeatother

\renewcommand*\listtablename{List of Figures and Tables}

\begin{document}

\listoftables
\clearpage

\begin{figure}
  \caption{A picture}
\end{figure}

\begin{table}
  \caption{Numbers}
\end{table}

\begin{figure}
  \caption{Another picture}
\end{figure}

\end{document}

Output

enter image description here

If you want that list exactly as in your example, load the tocloft package and add the following lines in your preamble

\renewcommand{\cftfigpresnum}{Figure~}
\renewcommand{\cftfigaftersnum}{:}
\setlength{\cftfignumwidth}{5.5em}
\renewcommand{\cfttabpresnum}{Table~}
\renewcommand{\cfttabaftersnum}{:}
\setlength{\cfttabnumwidth}{5.5em}

MWE

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{tocloft}

\makeatletter
\def\ext@figure{lot}
\makeatother

\renewcommand*\listtablename{List of Figures and Tables}

\renewcommand{\cftfigpresnum}{Figure~}
\renewcommand{\cftfigaftersnum}{:}
\setlength{\cftfignumwidth}{5.5em}
\renewcommand{\cfttabpresnum}{Table~}
\renewcommand{\cfttabaftersnum}{:}
\setlength{\cfttabnumwidth}{5.5em}

\begin{document}

\listoftables
\clearpage

\begin{figure}
  \caption{A picture}
\end{figure}

\begin{table}
  \caption{Numbers}
\end{table}

\begin{figure}
  \caption{Another picture}
\end{figure}

\end{document}

Output

enter image description here

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] How to put figures and tables together (in the same page) at the end? And leave some in the text

[Tex/LaTex] Combined list of tables and figures with separate numbering

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