ADDING VISUAL INFORMATION TO YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

A heads up for Psychology 11 students:

The information on this page is about MLA style, but in Psychology 11, we use APA style. Here's a helpful guide to get you started with APA formatting:

What kinds of visual materials can you add to your research paper?

  • Drawings, paintings, photographs and other works of art
  • Graphs, tables and other data charts
  • Maps
  • Flow charts and other illustrations
  • Any visual medium that provides useful information for your reader

When should you include visual material?

  • They are supporting or enhancing your text, not replacing it.
  • They are appropriate for the assignment (see what to avoid).
  • They are directly related to your topic.
  • You have referred specifically to the material in your writing.

What should you avoid when including visual material?

  • Humorous or potentially offensive material that is not appropriate for academic writing
  • Presenting a graphic before you have mentioned it in your text
  • Placing a visual in an awkward spot where it breaks up a paragraph or leaves a bunch of white space on the page.
  • Using Google Images without visiting the original source of the material. You need to do this to get the information needed to cite the visual properly and to confirm that the image is truly what you think it is.
  • Overusing visual material.

How do you format a visual that you are adding to your essay?

Choose wisely:
  • Use a clear, high-quality image that’s big enough to show detail but doesn’t crowd the page.
  • Colour is only needed if it helps explain something important.

Placement:
  • Put your image between paragraphs, not inside them.
  • Place it close to where you first mention it in your writing.

Label your image:
  • Give each image a figure number (e.g., Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.) in the order they appear.
  • Follow the figure number with a short, descriptive title.
  • Add the source right after the title — use the same format as your Works Cited entries.
    (You don’t need to list visuals again in your Works Cited.)
  • Don’t bold or italicize figure numbers or titles.
  • No hanging indents needed in captions.

No Google Images as a source:
  • Always click through to the original website and cite that instead.

Alignment:
  • Centre or left-align your image — whichever looks better.
  • Be consistent with your alignment throughout your document.

This handout also explains how to incorporate visuals: