curranthro-tables-figures

Tables, Figures & Exhibits (curranthro-tables-figures)

At CA, exhibits do more than display numbers — a photograph, a map, a site plan, a kinship chart, or an

artifact plate can carry the argument across all subfields. They also carry **ethical and rights

obligations that other fields' charts do not, and they are governed by CA's per-type figure caps**

and file-format rules (figures submitted as separate TIFF or EPS files, not embedded PDFs). For a

Major Article under the CA✩ Treatment, an unclear or ethically problematic exhibit becomes a target

for published Comment — design exhibits that strengthen the argument and withstand scrutiny.

When to trigger

• Designing the key photograph, map, site plan, artifact image, kinship/network diagram, or table
• Preparing a transcript or evidence table linking claims to sources
• Checking your figure/table count against the article-type cap
• A reviewer found an exhibit unclear, unlabeled, or ethically/rights-problematic

Principles

1. Self-contained. A reader understands each exhibit from its caption, labels, and note alone —

state place, date, what is shown, sample/N (for quantitative exhibits), and the source.

1. The exhibit should argue. A photograph or map that merely decorates wastes space; choose exhibits

that advance the interpretation (a contrast, a spatial pattern, a relational structure).

1. Consent & dignity. People depicted have consented to that use; faces/identifiers are handled per

the consent given (blur or anonymize where required). Do not publish images that expose or endanger

interlocutors (see curranthro-transparency-and-data).

1. Permissions & rights. Secure permissions for archival images, museum objects, and others' media;

credit lines and licenses are correct. Heritage/community rights over images of cultural property and

ancestral remains are respected — some images should not be reproduced at all.

1. Accessible. Provide alt text / image descriptions; colorblind-safe and grayscale-legible where

color carries meaning; legible transcripts with transcription conventions stated.

1. Reproducible (quant exhibits). Numbers in tables/plots match the underlying analysis exactly.

CA figure caps & formats (checked 2026-06; verify live Instructions for Authors)

• Major Article: up to 12 figures and tables.
• Report: up to 4 figures and tables.
• File format: submit text and tables in a single word-processing file (.doc/.rtf, not PDF);

submit figures (graphs and images) as separate TIFF (.tif) or EPS (.eps) files.

Discipline-specific exhibits

• Archaeology: site maps, stratigraphic sections, artifact plates, distribution maps, chronologies.
• Biological: measurement plots with uncertainty, morphological figures, sampling maps.
• Linguistic: interlinear glossed transcripts (with conventions), discourse excerpts.
• Sociocultural: field photographs (with consent), kinship/network diagrams, evidence tables.

Anti-patterns

• A photograph or map that decorates rather than argues
• Images of identifiable people without consent for that use; exposing vulnerable interlocutors
• Reproducing sacred/heritage objects or ancestral remains against community wishes
• Missing permissions/credit for archival or museum images
• Embedding figures in the text PDF instead of supplying separate TIFF/EPS files; exceeding the type's cap
• Quantitative exhibit values that don't match the analysis

Output format

【Main exhibit】what it shows + why it argues (not decorates)
【Self-contained?】caption + labels + source + date/place present? [Y/N]
【Consent & rights】people consented / permissions secured / heritage respected? [Y/N]
【Accessible?】alt text/description + grayscale-legible + transcript conventions? [Y/N]
【Count & format】within cap (12 Major / 4 Report)? separate TIFF/EPS? [Y/N]
【Next】curranthro-writing-style

Exhibit decision table (by subfield)

| If your exhibit is… | The first question an editor/commentator asks | The fix that clears it |

|---------------------|-----------------------------------------------|------------------------|

| A field photograph of people | Did they consent to this image being published? | Consent on file; blur/withhold per consent; caption with place/date |

| A map or site plan | Does it reveal a protected/sacred location? | Generalize coordinates; consult the community before publishing |

| An artifact plate / museum image | Are permissions and credits secured; is it heritage-sensitive? | Clear rights; respect community authority; some objects are not reproduced |

| An interlinear transcript | Are transcription conventions stated and glosses legible? | State conventions; align glosses; translate fairly |

| A quantitative plot (bio/archaeo) | Does it show uncertainty, and do values match the analysis? | Plot intervals/effect sizes; reconcile numbers to the source |

Calibration anchors (hedged)

• At CA, an exhibit is an ethical act, not just a display: consent, heritage authority, and the

dignity of the people shown can override the cleanest visualization.

• Figure/table caps and file-format requirements are set per article type — confirm the current

Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Manager upload prompts before final submission.

Supplementary resources

• [../../resources/external_tools.md](../../resources/external_tools.md) — mapping/GIS, image, transcription, and plotting tools
• [../../resources/official-source-map.md](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — figure caps, file formats, permissions requirements