In our ASCENT guides, we use figure references to indicate what part of the copy is being shown in our figures. With this function, the placement of the figure references in the text is important for directing attention to the correct information and avoiding confusion. If you also use figure references in your technical writing projects, keep reading for some helpful tips.
When using a figure reference in the text, you want it to come directly before or after the information that is highlighted in the image. You are using these references to draw your reader’s attention to something specific. You don’t want the figure reference to come after text that is referring to something that is not shown in the image or not what you want to highlight – this will only lead to confusion as your reader tries to look for something in the image that isn’t there.
Another tendency is to put the figure reference at the end of the step preceding the figure, even in cases where the image is really showing the beginning or middle part of the step. You want to try to tie in the figure reference with the copy that best describes what is being shown in the image, regardless of where in the step that copy falls.
Example #1
1. Open the Autodesk Civil 3D software. In the Start tab, click the New drop-down arrow and select Autodesk Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS.dwt to start a new drawing using this template. This is one of the standard templates that come with the software, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1
In this example, the figure reference has been placed at the end of the step. While not strictly incorrect, as the image does show a list of standard templates, what we want to draw our readers’ attention to is the New drop-down arrow and the specific template we want them to select, which we’ve highlighted in the image with a red arrow and circle. In this instance, I moved to the figure reference so it directly followed the information that the image is highlighting:
1. Open the Autodesk Civil 3D software. In the Start tab, click the New drop-down arrow and select Autodesk Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS.dwt, as shown in Figure 1, to start a new drawing using this template. This is one of the standard templates that come with the software.
Example #2
2. In the Grading Editor panorama, change the Fill Slope to 0.3:1 and press <Enter>, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
In this example, the figure reference has been placed after “press <Enter>”. Since this is a keyboard command and not something that is part of the interface, it won’t be visible in the image. In this case, it is best to move the figure reference so it directly follows the information that is being shown in the image:
In the Grading Editor panorama, change the Fill Slope to 0.3:1, as shown in Figure 2, and press <Enter>.
Example #3
In this third example, there are a few options for the figure reference placement that would each be correct, depending on which information you want to emphasize. In this case, you should consider which piece of information you most want to draw your readers’ attention to or highlight in the image.
Option 1: The search field is highlighted and attention is drawn to the typed abbreviation.
3. Assign a coordinate system by opening the Select Coordinate System dialog box. You can type in the coordinate system’s abbreviation, as shown in Figure 3, or browse through the available systems in the list. Click OK when one is selected.
Figure 3
Option 2: The figure reference is referring to the dialog box in general and not highlighting any specific aspect. This can be appropriate for lecture content, but is less ideal for exercise instructions.
3. Assign a coordinate system by opening the Select Coordinate System dialog box (shown in Figure 3). You can type in the coordinate system’s abbreviation or browse through the available systems in the list. Click OK when one is selected.
Figure 3
Option 3: This option is drawing attention more to the list of available systems as opposed to directing attention to the search field as done in Option 1.
3. Assign a coordinate system by opening the Select Coordinate System dialog box. You can type in the coordinate system’s abbreviation or browse through the available systems in the list, as shown in Figure 3. Click OK when one is selected.
Figure 3
Option 4: The figure reference is added to the end of the step.
3. Assign a coordinate system by opening the Select Coordinate System dialog box. You can type in the coordinate system’s abbreviation or browse through the available systems in the list. Click OK when one is selected, as shown in Figure 3.
As mentioned earlier, there may be temptation to put the figure reference at the end of the step, as done in this example. In this case, I’ve added a circle around the OK button so that the reference is technically correct; however, I would also consider whether this is the most important information to highlight. Clicking OK is a fairly standard practice with dialog boxes and most users will not need this step highlighted in an image in order to be clear about what the step entails. Generally speaking, there are more important elements to focus on in this image, so moving the figure reference within the step and highlighting different information (as in Option 1 or Option 3) is the better solution.
As you can see in the above examples, adding highlights, circles, or arrows to an image can be helpful to draw the reader’s attention to specific areas, especially in an image where there is a lot going on. Be careful not to overdo this though, as highlighting too many areas can have the opposite effect. And whatever you choose, making sure your figure reference placement coordinates properly with what’s shown in your figures is the key for making your text clear and easy to understand for your reader.
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