The List of Figures is the visual twin of the List of Tables. Each entry shows the figure number, caption, and page. Figures include diagrams, charts, screenshots, photos, and flowcharts.
Figure vs Table
Artefact
What It Looks Like
Caption Position
Table
Rows and columns of data or text
Above
Figure
Image, diagram, chart, screenshot
Below
Caption Style
Element
Convention
Prefix
Figure 3.1 (chapter.figure)
Style
Italicised prefix, plain caption
Length
One sentence preferred
Source
Cite if not your own (Source: NIST, 2024)
Generating The List
Tool
Step
MS Word
Apply Caption style with label set to Figure, then References → Insert Table of Figures
LaTeX
Use \caption{} inside figure environment, then \listoffigures
Google Docs
Manual or via add-on
Mistakes To Avoid
Stretching screenshots until pixels are visible.
Captioning the figure as the same as the section heading.
Using JPEG for line-art - prefer PNG or SVG.
Forgetting alt-text for accessibility (also helps screen readers).
Discussion
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