A useful report figure needs a readable visual, an informative caption and an explanation in the text. A useful table needs clear headings, units and a purpose. Numbering and a generated list help readers find them, but they do not establish that the evidence is accurate.
Work on a copy before editing fields or numbering. These steps concern desktop Word, using Microsoft's current documentation; menu wording may vary by version. Check which features your version supports. Your department decides whether captions sit above or below an item and whether numbering is continuous or chapter-based.
A readable figure is more useful when the surrounding report explains it clearly. UniDraft helps organise your confirmed work and instructions into an editable project document. Start your document with UniDraft, then review its figures, captions and final Word layout against your requirements. This guide also works for reports you are editing separately.
Decide whether the visual earns its place
Ask what the reader learns from it. A screenshot of a whole desktop with tiny text is usually less useful than a cropped, permitted view of the relevant output. Do not alter a graph or crop away information in a way that misrepresents the evidence.
For SIWES photographs and diagrams, establish workplace permission and remove confidential details appropriately. For research figures, credit sources and identify adaptation where required. Your own drawing of a general process should not be labelled as an employer's official technical plan.
Write a caption that identifies the evidence
Illustrative captions, not real student records:
- Weak: “Picture of equipment.”
- More informative: “Figure 2. Inspection setup showing the labelled measurement points.”
- Weak: “Results.”
- More informative: “Table 3. Valid and missing responses for the questionnaire items.”
Use a caption that fits what is actually shown. A photograph of observing a task is not evidence that you performed it independently. Explain the relevant point in the surrounding paragraph instead of expecting the caption to carry the whole argument.
Insert a Word caption
Select the relevant object and use References > Insert Caption. Choose the appropriate label, such as Figure or Table, enter the descriptive text and use the placement your department requires. Microsoft's caption instructions explain the automatic number field and formatting options.
For chapter-based labels, establish the required heading-numbering setup before selecting that option. Do not improvise a field-code change on your only copy to make a template resemble another department's report. If the current manual arrangement is approved and works, a new automatic arrangement is not compulsory.
Refer to it from the paragraph
Introduce the visual near the discussion it supports. Explain what it shows and why that matters. With a Word caption already present, use Insert > Cross-reference, select the reference type and relevant item, and choose the reference text needed. Microsoft explains that cross-references are fields.
After moving or deleting material, update and inspect references. If Word shows an error, restore the intended target or correct the reference; do not hide the error with an unrelated typed number.
Create the list separately from the contents page
Use References > Insert Table of Figures and choose the caption label for the list. A list for tables uses the Table label; a list for figures uses Figure. Update the list after changes. See Microsoft's table-of-figures guide.
A generated list only includes recognised matching captions. A manually typed “Figure 4” under a picture will not necessarily appear. None of these actions requires replacing a plain, approved table of contents with an automatic one.
Final visual audit
| Check | What a reader should find |
|---|---|
| Number | Matches the reference in the paragraph and the list |
| Title | Describes this specific visual rather than a generic label |
| Labels and units | Readable without guessing scale or measurement |
| Source | Attribution and permissions where required |
| Page layout | Caption stays associated with its item; nothing is cut off |
| Final export | Same meaning and readable layout in the submitted file |
Use the appendix guide for supplementary visuals and the page-numbering guide for section numbering. UniDraft helps organise your confirmed work into an editable report; inspect the actual final file rather than assuming every display or export preserves the layout. Explore UniDraft.