Academic Skills Advice
Infosheet
Diagrams and Tables
Diagrams
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In scientific subjects, the need is for diagrams (not pictures or art), so keep
things as simple as possible whilst meeting the need for illustration.
The aim is clear communication of information. So, avoid clutter and
unnecessary frills.
Check carefully what sort of diagram is required – sketch, cross section, flow
chart, molecular structure etc. Usually a cross-section will be much clearer
and simpler, both for you to draw and for your reader to understand.
Don’t be afraid of diagrams! Even if you are not very good at drawing, you can
still do excellent scientific diagrams.
When and How to Use Diagrams
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Do use diagrams as a way to communicate, because they supplement and
enhance written answers and give you an additional opportunity to get your
meaning across to your reader fully and clearly.
Do make sure the labels are informative and explanatory. A well-labelled
diagram can easily save 100-200 words of written explanation and you may
find that words used in diagrams are not counted in the word allowance (but
do check the brief). So, diagrams may allow you more scope to give a full
answer.
Don’t expect the question to prompt you to think about using diagrams in your
answer. Sometimes you will be told but, at other times, it will be up to you to
think of the possibility of diagrams being useful.
Always Give a Title
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Diagrams need titles to say what they show and how they work.
E.g. “Figure 2: The helical structure of DNA”, and then refer
specifically to Figure 2 in your written answer.
Make the title as informative as possible, especially if you are up against a
tight word limit and are allowed to add words freely to diagrams.
E.g. the title above could be improved to “Figure 2: The structure of
DNA showing the base pairings and how the cross links between the
bases determine the helical structure of the molecule” Or, better still,
“Figure 2: The structure of DNA, showing the base pairings and how
the cross links between the bases (thymine with adenine and cytosine
with guanine) determine the helical structure of the molecule”
Acknowledging and Referencing Diagrams
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If you copy a diagram from a source, or even just an element of one, you must
cite and reference it (just as you would acknowledge your sources in the
written work).
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Academic Skills Advice
Tips for Diagrams
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If possible, use the computer to create your diagrams.
If hand drawing diagrams:
 Use a ruler for any straight lines
 For curved lines use a template (coin, cup etc.) wherever possible
 Use pencil, not ink, because you can erase it easily if you change your
mind later. Don’t use ink, or add ink labelling, until you have finalised
the content of the diagram.
Provide a scale where appropriate.
E.g. ‘1cm represents 1km’.
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Make your diagram larger than you think you need. You are likely to find more
detail you want to add as you draw. It also gives you more room for labels.
It’s well worth doing a rough diagram first to help you plan the final version.
Use colour or shading if it will help clarity; if you do, always add a key or
legend.
Asking someone else if your diagram seems clear and explains things well can
be helpful.
Examples of Diagrams
The diagrams below are from a second level Open
University Physics course. Notice how simple they are;
the labels are all explained in the figure title and they are
numbered, so can be easily referred to in the body of the
text.
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T: 01274 236849
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Academic Skills Advice
Tables
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Like diagrams, tables need clear informative headings. They should be
numbered and referred to specifically in the accompanying written answer.
Tables usually contain numerical values, so including the correct units is
essential. This could be as part of the heading for a column or row.
E.g. If you have measured a series of lengths, you could write these out as
Length = 10cm
Length = 20cm
Length = 30cm… and so on
Or you could use a column in a table:
Length
/cm
10
20
30
Example of a Well-Constructed Table
Table 3: Results of Experiment 6. Distances of three tortoises from starting point
measured at 10- second intervals, measured in a straight line using a 50-metre tape
measure.
Time elapsed/s
Distance/m at 10-second intervals from starting point
0
10
20
30
40
50
Tortoise number
1
2
3
0
0
0
1
3
0
2
4
1
3
6
4
4
8
5
4
9
6
Note just how much information this table contains.
E: [email protected]
T: 01274 236849
@UniBradSkills
Has this resource helped? Find more at www.brad.ac.uk/academic-skills