How to cite using APA in the Health Sciences

Visual representation of data refers to information such as: tables, figures, graphs, clinical imaging, photographs, illustrations, and maps. 

On the "Tables and Figures" APA webpage, you will find information on:

• How to format tables, figures, line graphs, survival plots, scatterplots, bar graphs, pie charts, diagrams, etc., with examples!

Tables/Figures/Graphs, etc., from other sources:

• It is best practice to contact the creator or copyright holder of any table, figure, graph, photograph, illustration, etc., for permission to use it before you incorporate it into your work. Even after obtaining permission, you must still properly cite the source.
• This is especially true once you leave University. You may end up presenting at a conference, or publishing a research article, and any tables, graphs, figures, images, etc. you wish to use or reprint from other sources must be properly cited and permission MUST be sought from the copyright holder(s).
• For more an online images (e.g. one you did not create or hold copyright for) see Citing an Online Image.

Make your work accessible to people with screen readers and low vision by including alt-text to any figures and images.

If you are creating any graphs, tables, or figures, make sure to incorporate high-contrast colours so that people with colour-vision deficiency (referred to as "colour blindness") or people with with atypical colour vision can tell the colours apart and process the information.

The APA recommends the use of a contrast checker such as the free Color Contrast Analyser to evaluate the contrast ratio and confirm that your content passes the standards for WCAG 2.0 Level AA or better. Ensuring adequate contrast ratios will make your content accessible to readers with color-deficient vision as well as understandable by all readers if the figure ends up being printed or photocopied in grayscale.

The APA also suggests achieving adequate contrast by using a pattern in combination with colour so that the differentiation of elements is not based on colour alone (e.g., in a line graph, different lines may be in different colors and also different styles, such as solid, dashed, and dotted).

When many colors must be used and it is not possible to achieve high contrast among all of them, label colored areas directly in the image or use lines to connect the object to its label rather than placing the label in a legend, if possible. When you use this strategy, readers do not have to match colors in the figure to colors in the legend and the figure can be made more accessible.

For more information, see the APA webpage, "Accessible Use of Color in Figures". 

The APA webpage, "Tables and Figures", provides instructions, along with numerous examples, on formatting figures using the APA Style.

You can either embed the figure within your text, or you may place each figure on its own page after the reference list

Elements of a Figure in APA

• Number: Each figure must be numbered in the style "Figure #". The figure number appears above the figure title and image in bold font. Figures must be numbered in the order that they are mentioned in your paper. 

• Title: The figure title is one double-spaced line below the figure number. Each figure should have a brief but descriptive title, italicized in title case.

• Image: The image portion of the figure refers to the graph, chart, photograph, drawing, or other illustration. Use a sans serif font between 8 and 14 points for any text that appears in the image.

• Legend: If you include a figure legend or key, position it within the borders of the figure and explains any symbols used in the image. Use title case for the legend.

• Note: Three types of notes (general, specific, and probability) can appear below the figure to describe contents of the figure that cannot be understood from the figure title, image, and/or legend alone (e.g., definitions of abbreviations, copyright attribution, explanations of asterisks use to indicate p values). Include figure notes only as needed.

The APA webpage, "Tables and Figures", provides instructions, along with numerous examples, on formatting tables using the APA Style.

Elements for Tables in APA

• Number: Format the as "Table #", in bold and above the table title and body. Number tables in the order in which they are mentioned in your paper.

• Title: Place the table title one double-spaced line below the table number. Give each table a brief but descriptive title, and should be italicized and in title case.

• Headings: Tables may include a variety of headings depending on the nature of the data. All tables should include column headings, including a stub heading (heading for the leftmost, or stub, column). The heading “Variable” is often used for the stub column if no other heading is suitable. Column headings should be centered and in sentence case.

• Body: The table body includes all the rows and columns of a table (including the headings row). A cell is the point of intersection between a row and a column. The table body may be single-spaced, one-and-a-half-spaced, or double-spaced. Make sure to left-align the information in the leftmost column or stub column of the table body. Headings are centered. The text in all other cells of the table should be centered as well, unless left-aligning the text would improve readability (e.g. when cells contain lots of text).

• Note: Three types of notes (general, specific, and probability) may be placed below the table to describe contents of the table that cannot be understood from the table title or body alone (e.g., definitions of abbreviations, copyright attribution, explanations of asterisks used to indicate p values). Use table notes only as needed.

What is the difference between sentence and title case? Find out in Formatting Tips.

Information on this page was adapted from "Chapter 7: Tables and Figures", in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), as well as the APA webpage, "Tables and Figures".