66 PRS Proofreading and Editing Service PhD Experts • All Academic Areas • Fast Turnaround • High Quality 5.2 last but not least: References, citations and Quotations Some of you are no doubt already shuddering, and accurate referencing can be a challenge, but it need not be a nightmare. It does require a significant investment of both time and careful attention, PARt II: PRePARIng, PResentIng And PolIsHIng YoUR woRk PRS Tip: So much attention is paid to numerical data in tables and images in figures that the words appearing in tables and figures sometimes suffer neglect. If the words used in tables and figures do not effectively clarify and categorise the information presented, the reader’s understanding suffers as well. So when using words in a table or figure, it’s good to keep these basic practices in mind: • Use standard abbreviations for measures and define all abbreviations beyond those for common measures. • Use terms and abbreviations that match exactly those used for the same concepts, categories and measures in the paper and in its other tables and figures. • Make sure that all words are visible and legible, and not obscured or crowded by other elements of the table or figure. • Do not allow a word to be split inappropriately onto two separate lines – use a wider column instead. • Use capitalisation consistently throughout the tables and figures in a paper. • If the table or figure was originally prepared in another language, translate all words into accurate English – if you’re writing for an English-speaking audience, all aspects of your paper, including your tables and figures, should be entirely legible to that audience.