234 – Conventions of academic writing
Headings and sub-headings
In some departments and disciplines you will be commended for
laying out your essay with numbered sections, headings and subheadings. It is sometimes done in the manner of this book; at other
times a mixture of Roman numerals, Arabic numerals and letters is
preferred. Some departments encourage you to use numbered subheadings for reports or field studies but not for essays. In yet others
the merest sign of a numbered paragraph, a sub-heading or even a list
of numbered points (i) . . . (ii) . . . (iii) or bullet points within your
text will be to offend certain traditions and sensibilities. Generally
speaking, the younger the discipline and the more closely oriented
to the social sciences the more disposed it is to use these devices of
layout. Do not, even so, use them as a substitute for developing a
coherent argument throughout the essay. Excessive use of numbered
sub-headings will often clearly betray a scissors-and-paste piece of
work.
Tables and figures
Tables and figures are a useful way of summarising information in
a manner clearer and more succinct than ordinary prose. (‘Figure’
is the name given to any diagram or illustration other than a table
or a photograph, which is called a ‘plate’.) They should always be
positioned as closely as possible to your discussion of them in the text,
and you must always ensure that you do discuss them rather than let
them ‘speak for themselves’: treat them as you would any primary
source, as discussed in chapter 3 above (pp. 57–9). Normally tables
and figures are numbered consecutively throughout the essay and
referred to in your text as Table 1, Table 2, etc., and Figure 1, Figure
2, etc. Each table or figure should have, together with its number, a
caption explaining what it is. Tables commonly have their numbers
and captions positioned above, while figures have theirs below.
The ability to construct good tables and figures is an important
skill to acquire if you are working in the social sciences. Books on
methodology in the social sciences and manuals of scientific writing
are the best sources of advice.
Headings and sub-headings
In some departments and disciplines you will be commended for
laying out your essay with numbered sections, headings and subheadings. It is sometimes done in the manner of this book; at other
times a mixture of Roman numerals, Arabic numerals and letters is
preferred. Some departments encourage you to use numbered subheadings for reports or field studies but not for essays. In yet others
the merest sign of a numbered paragraph, a sub-heading or even a list
of numbered points (i) . . . (ii) . . . (iii) or bullet points within your
text will be to offend certain traditions and sensibilities. Generally
speaking, the younger the discipline and the more closely oriented
to the social sciences the more disposed it is to use these devices of
layout. Do not, even so, use them as a substitute for developing a
coherent argument throughout the essay. Excessive use of numbered
sub-headings will often clearly betray a scissors-and-paste piece of
work.
Tables and figures
Tables and figures are a useful way of summarising information in
a manner clearer and more succinct than ordinary prose. (‘Figure’
is the name given to any diagram or illustration other than a table
or a photograph, which is called a ‘plate’.) They should always be
positioned as closely as possible to your discussion of them in the text,
and you must always ensure that you do discuss them rather than let
them ‘speak for themselves’: treat them as you would any primary
source, as discussed in chapter 3 above (pp. 57–9). Normally tables
and figures are numbered consecutively throughout the essay and
referred to in your text as Table 1, Table 2, etc., and Figure 1, Figure
2, etc. Each table or figure should have, together with its number, a
caption explaining what it is. Tables commonly have their numbers
and captions positioned above, while figures have theirs below.
The ability to construct good tables and figures is an important
skill to acquire if you are working in the social sciences. Books on
methodology in the social sciences and manuals of scientific writing
are the best sources of advice.