How to insert figures or plots into MS Word documents
Scientific and technical articles sometimes need some kind of chart or picture that simplifies the visualization and understanding of the content of the paper.
Most word processors offer ways to include figures, clipart, or pictures into documents. Word processors are popular when creating simple papers for publishing or to submit to peers, to a teacher, or to a magazine.
Including a picture into a document can sometimes be a daunting task. This is so because not always pictures align the way we want, or are bigger than the space we have on a particular page, or are smaller than needed, etc.
Pictures to be included in a document can come from many different sources. They can be stored in a folder inside the computer, they can be in the Clipboard in the memory, maybe available from the Internet, from an external removable drive, etc. But all the sources can be reduced to two types: pictures coming from a file (when the picture is already saved, or when a picture from a web page was right clicked and the Save Picture/Image menu was chosen), or the picture was captured and stored in the Clipboard (when a picture from a web page was right clicked and the Copy or Copy Image menu was chosen).
In all MS Word version releases the sequence of clicks to introduce a picture into a document is the same: position the cursor in the point you want to put the picture an follow this keystroke sequence:
- In the top menu chose Insert,
- then in the drop menu chose Picture,
- and then finally the option From File...
This is the easy part; now we move to resize or reposition the picture. The initial problem with Word is that by default Word assumes that the inserted picture is another character or symbol and places the picture in line with the current line of text. This is seldom the case; it happens with special characters or short formulas, but not with pictures. To change this, right click in the inserted picture and the chose the Format picture menu. Go to the Layout tab.
Notice that the option In line with text is already chosen. The Square selection is the best for almost all the documents. The Square option allows for the text to flow around the picture, as in we see in newspapers an magazines.
To move the inserted picture to another place, simply click over the picture and holding the mouse down, move the picture with the mouse to the place you want it.
E. Pérez
Nov-08
