When you are writing an academic document, you need to make sure that you label your tables and figures correctly. This is paramount; incorrectly labelled tables and figures can cost your vital marks! If you just can’t work out how to do this correctly, or you are worried about it, you can always get it checked by a professional. However, if you want to learn how to do it yourself, read on!
How to Label Tables
Tables need to have a label positioned above the table itself. This holds for Harvard, MLA, and APA referencing. The label should explain exactly what data the table presents. A good rule of thumb is that any kind of table or figure should be entirely independent from the text. It’s no use calling a table simply ‘Table 1′. You need to explain what the table shows, for example: ‘Table 1: Daily Commutes Made by Bicycle in Melbourne, 2014′.
How to Label Figures
Figures need to have their label positioned below the figure. This convention is the same for Harvard, MLA, and APA referencing. As with tables, you should make sure that the label explains the data clearly and accurately.
How to Insert a Label
Labels for tables and figures are known as ‘captions’ or ‘legends’. To insert a caption automatically, here is what you need to do:
On a PC:
Select the item that needs the caption and go to References > Insert Caption.
Next the caption box will appear.
Here, the first part of the caption will be auto-filled. The default is set to figures, but to select a different type of label, select table or chart from the label dropdown menu. These will always update to the next number, so if two figures have already been captioned this way, the caption box will display ‘Figure 3’.
The default position for captions is above the item so make sure to change this if you are labelling a figure.
The rest of the settings can typically remain the same.
On a Mac:
Select the item that needs the caption and go to Insert > Caption.
Next the caption box will appear.
The rest of the process is the same as for a PC.
Using the caption function rather than manually writing out your labels will make it easier when you come to inserting your Table of Figures/Tables.
Good luck!