Caption (text)

Japanese TV closed caption using gaiji

A caption is a short descriptive or explanatory text, usually one or two sentences long, which accompanies a photograph, picture, map, graph, pictorial illustration, figure, table or some other form of graphic content contained in a book or in a newspaper or magazine article.[1][2][3]

The caption is usually placed directly below the image. In technical writing, however, the caption is usually positioned above a table. In magazines and similar publications, a caption can be placed opposite the picture or sometimes on top of the picture itself.[4]

In technical writing, the caption usually contains the number of the figure or the table, as well as lengthy and complete details about the figure. The source of the information in a caption is usually cited at the end of it.[5][6]

  1. ^ Caption - Cambridge Dictionary, retrieved 28 February 2023
  2. ^ Tony Harcup (2014), A Dictionary of Journalism, Oxford University Press
  3. ^ "Caption". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  4. ^ Amanda Hopkinson; Robin Lenman (2006), The Oxford Companion to the Photograph, Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Joe Schall. "Captions for Figures and Tables". Effective Technical Writing in the Information Age. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  6. ^ Instagram Captions Craft