Constructing figuresInclude a legend describing the figure. It should be succinct yet provide sufficient information for the reader to interpret the figure without reference to the text. The legend should be below the figure. Provide each axis with a brief but informative title (including units of measurement). Don't include figures that are not referred to in the text, or be tempted to 'dress up' your report by presenting data in the form of figures that could easily be replaced by a sentence or two of text. Don't fill the entire A4 page with the graph leaving little room for axis numeration, axis titles and the caption. The entire figure should lie within reasonable margins (say 3 centimetre margin on the left side, 2 centimetre margins on the top, bottom and right side of the page). Don't extend the axes very far beyond the range of the data. For example, if the data range between 0 and 78, the axis should extend no further than a value of 80. Don't use colour, unless absolutely necessary. It is expensive, and the costs are usually passed on to the author. Colour in figures may look good in an assignment or thesis, but it means redrawing in preparation for publication. (from How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper by Robert Day (ISI Press, Philadelphia, 1979): http://www.nature.com/authors/author_resources/how_write.html)
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