ILLUSTRATIONS 



in PUBLICATIONS of the 

 FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Illustrations include any pictorial devices, such as 

 photographs, charts, graphs, maps, or other original art, 

 that you as the author may use to present your ideas. 

 Illustrations are justified if they enable the reader to grasp 

 your thoughts more easily and clearly and if the cost of 

 producing them is compatible with their value to the paper. 



Original illustrations, as referred to in this publication, 

 are of two types: the line drawing and the photograph. Line 

 drawings include all illustrations made with pen and ink. 

 They are generally reproduced as linecuts, giving clean, 

 black lines. Photographs are usually reproduced as halftones 

 and show shadings or gradations of black or sepia, due to 

 the screen used in their reproduction. 



The decision as to what illustrations are needed in any 

 paper, especially one of a technical nature, rests largely 

 with the author. Do you need certain graphs or charts to 

 analyse your data? If so, you will prepare them before you 

 begin to write your paper. It follows that if you need certain 

 graphs to make your analyses the reader will probably need 

 them, too. You will have to decide when a figure, as well as 

 a table covering the same data, is needed. If you use both in 

 the original analysis, likely both should be used in the paper. 

 In statistical papers, relationships and trends are more 

 easily grasped from a graph than from a table, but you may 

 need to present the tabular data, too. 



Photographs have their place in technical writing as well 

 as in more popular forms of writing. They quickly present 

 the arrangement or operation of complicated equipment, 

 whether in the laboratory or in the field; they convey a 

 feeling of reality and of genuineness hard to attain with 

 words. Photographic records of a research project can be 

 invaluable in presenting your findings to your readers, 

 especially if you need to show progression or response in 

 experimental studies. 



Cover illustrated by Gustaf T. Sundstrom. 

 Approved for publication, May 25, 1961. 



