aaag-tables-figures

Maps, Figures & Tables (aaag-tables-figures)

The Annals is a geography journal: maps are arguments, and the journal holds them to cartographic standards. There is a Cartography Editor and Graphics Guidelines (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准), and every exhibit counts toward the 11,000-word cap (figure captions are included). Make each exhibit carry its weight and read correctly in print and grayscale.

When to trigger

• Designing or revising maps, remote-sensing figures, model plots, or tables
• A reviewer/editor flagged a map's projection, classification, legend, or legibility
• Trimming exhibits to fit the inclusive word cap

Cartographic essentials (maps are held to standard here)

• Projection chosen on purpose — appropriate to area/distance/shape for the analysis; name it.
• Classification stated — method (quantiles, equal-interval, natural breaks) and class count, with a rationale; the choropleth message must not be an artifact of the break scheme.
• Map elements present — scale bar, north arrow where needed, legend, data source, and date; graticule/inset where it aids reading.
• Normalize areal data — rates/densities, not raw counts, on choropleths; avoid MAUP-driven artifacts.
• Accessible color — colorblind-safe, sequential/diverging schemes matched to the data type; legible in grayscale; sufficient figure-ground contrast.

Remote-sensing & physical figures

• State band combination/stretch; include a spatial error/uncertainty panel where accuracy matters.
• Give coordinates/extent and resolution so the figure is reproducible and locatable.

Model & statistical figures

• Prefer effect/marginal-effect, GWR-surface, and event/trend plots over dense tables; show uncertainty bands. Tables carry effect sizes and CIs, not stars alone.

Self-containment & house style

• Every exhibit is readable standalone: caption states what, where, when, source, and the takeaway.
• Follow the Graphics Guidelines for resolution, fonts, and file format; vector for line art, high-resolution raster for imagery (verify current specs on the page).
• Count captions, tables, and figures toward the 11,000-word cap — budget exhibits deliberately.

Common map failure → fix (what the Cartography Editor flags)

Failure	Why it misleads	Fix
Raw counts on a choropleth	bigger/more-populous units always look "high"	map rates/densities; normalize
Default Web Mercator for area analysis	distorts area at high latitudes	choose an equal-area projection; name it
Auto "natural breaks" with no rationale	the message is an artifact of the break scheme	justify method + class count; test alternatives
Rainbow palette	not colorblind-safe; false ordering	sequential/diverging colorblind-safe scheme
No scale bar / source / date	unverifiable, not reproducible	add required map elements
Tiny multiples illegible in print	reviewer cannot read the result	resize, simplify, or split exhibits

Checklist

• Projection named and appropriate to the analysis
• Classification method + class count stated and justified
• Scale bar / legend / source / date present; areal data normalized
• Colorblind-safe and grayscale-legible; adequate contrast
• RS figures: band/stretch + accuracy/error panel; extent + resolution given
• Captions self-contained; exhibit budget fits the inclusive word cap
• Graphics meet the journal's resolution/format specs (verify)

Anti-patterns

• Default-software projection and auto-classification with no rationale (artifactual choropleth)
• Raw counts on a choropleth instead of rates/densities
• Rainbow / non-colorblind-safe palettes; maps illegible in grayscale
• Missing scale bar, legend, or data source/date
• Overrunning the word cap because captions and tables were not counted

Output format

【Exhibit】map / RS figure / model plot / table
【Cartography】projection + classification + required elements? [Y/N]
【Accessibility】colorblind-safe + grayscale-legible? [Y/N]
【Self-contained】caption states what/where/when/source/takeaway? [Y/N]
【Word-cap budget】exhibits + captions counted? [Y/N]
【Next】aaag-writing-style

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — GIS/cartography and figure tooling (QGIS, ggplot2/tmap, matplotlib)
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — Graphics Guidelines and Cartography Editor