Visual Aids: Integrating Visuals into Your Text

Once you’ve created or found your visuals, you need to ensure that you are integrating them fluidly into your document and that you make adequate reference to them. Figure 1 depicts the 3-step process discussed on this page for integrating visuals into your text:

  1. Introduce the Visual
  2. Place the Visual
  3. Analyze the Visual

 

Screen grab showing how an in-text reference to a visual aid links directly to that visual aid

Figure 1: How an in-text reference to a visual links to a visual with a clear caption.

Step 1: Introduce the Visual

Each should have an ID and title: Figure 1: Campus Map.

Introduce your visual aids in your text using whichever of three methods you prefer [introductory phrase in bold].

  • One sentence with an introductory phrase

    • As Figure 2 notes, through a student survey, we discovered that 78% of those enrolled in ENGL 2604: Introduction to Critical Reading prefer it to traditional composition courses.

  • Two sentences

    • Through a student survey, we discovered that 78% of those enrolled in ENGL 2604: Introduction to Critical Reading prefer it to traditional composition courses. See Figure 2.

  • One sentence with the reference in parentheses

    • Through a student survey, we discovered that 78% of those enrolled in ENGL 2604: Introduction to Critical Reading prefer it to traditional composition courses (Figure 2).         

Step 2: Place The Visual

You should place your visual aids as close as possible to your in-text references to them.  And references should occur simultaneously with or prior to placement of the visual aids.

In other words, don’t place the visual aid in the text before you refer to it. Why not? It won’t mean anything to the reader until you’ve said something about it.  If you must place a visual aid on a following page or in an appendix, make sure you include a direct reference to the page whereon the visual can be found, such as (see Page 53).

Step 3: Analyze the Visual

Once you have provided the visual, you should analyze it or at the very least in some way state the conclusions you want your reader to draw from it. It’s not enough to say simply “See Figure 1.” You must help the reader analyze this figure by drawing his or her attention to potential interpretations [interpretation shown in bold italic]:

As Figure 2 notes, through a student survey, we discovered that 78% of those enrolled in ENGL 2604: Introduction to Critical Reading prefer it to traditional composition courses. These numbers suggest that more students potentially would enroll in – and thus derive more benefit from – a literature-based composition course.      

Such explanations or analyses of the findings assist your reader in an understanding of the visual’s key points.

When it comes to creating using visuals in your document, you must always attempt to strike a balance between text and image.  Too much text, and you risk losing your reader to sleep.  Too many visuals, and you risk losing the true scope and depth of your message.  If you make an attempt to provide visuals to illuminate or enhance rather than replace text, then you are likely to succeed at creating visually-stimulating technical writing documents.