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Position floats and write captions

Place figures and tables without fragile page breaks, then caption, label, and cite them.

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Figures and tables are usually floats: numbered objects that LaTeX may move to keep pages readable. Their source position tells LaTeX where they become available; it does not reserve an exact coordinate on the page.

Build a complete figure#

Place the caption before the label so the label receives the figure number. A placement option such as [htbp] gives LaTeX several acceptable locations.

LaTeX source
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{mwe}
\begin{document}
Figure~\ref{fig:workflow} demonstrates a floating image and its caption.
\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[
    width=.62\linewidth,
    alt={Gray rectangular layout placeholder labeled A}
  ]{example-image-a}
  \caption{Layout placeholder; replace with the analysis workflow.}
  \label{fig:workflow}
\end{figure}
\end{document}
Compiled result
Open in CorTeX

The rendered image is TeX Live's letter-A layout placeholder. Replace it and its descriptions with your own research figure, caption, and accurate alt text before sharing the document. In a paper, replace example-image-a with a project path such as figures/workflow.pdf and replace the alt text with the information conveyed by that figure. Export an accessible PDF explains how the text is checked during accessible export.

The letters mean approximately here, page top, page bottom, and a float-only page. They are preferences, not commands. Giving LaTeX several choices is more stable than insisting on one.

Write a caption that can stand alone#

A useful caption tells the reader what is shown, which conditions or population were used, and what visual encodings need explanation. The main prose should state the finding: for example, “Accuracy increased across all sample sizes (Figure 2),” rather than “Figure 2 shows a graph.”

Table captions conventionally appear above the table, while figure captions appear below the figure. Follow the venue template when it makes a different choice. Keep the \caption and \label inside the same float as their content.

Understand why a float moves#

LaTeX maintains float order and fits floats around text under class-specific limits. A large earlier figure can therefore delay later figures in the queue. When a float travels too far:

  1. place its source soon after the first paragraph that discusses it;
  2. reduce excess whitespace or use an appropriate image width;
  3. allow several placements such as [htbp];
  4. use \FloatBarrier from placeins at a real section boundary if permitted.

[H] from the float package disables floating. Reserve it for a requirement you have verified: forcing a float can leave a large gap or push nearby text to an awkward page. Repeated manual page breaks are even more fragile.

Handle multi-part and two-column results#

In a two-column class, figure* and table* span both columns and are usually restricted to particular page positions. Use a subfigure package only when the venue supports it and the panels form one comparison. Give each panel a concise subcaption, then give the whole float a caption that explains the shared claim.

After changing float order or labels, wait for CorTeX's automatic reruns and check the current PDF. Each object should be legible, appear near its first discussion, have a descriptive caption, and be cited through a stable label. Next, learn to cross-reference numbered objects.

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