Motivation and emotion/Wikiversity/Figures

Working with figures

Figure 1. An example image with an APA-style caption, right justified and 150px in size. [Example image]

Figure 2. A key indicator of motivation is the intensity and persistance of effort. [Example photograph]

Figure 3. Maslow's hierarchy of needs represented as a pyramid, with physiological needs at the base. [Example diagram]

Figure 4. The hypothalamus regulates fundamental motivations, including eating, drinking, and sex. [Example animated gif]

Figure 5. This is a spoken word version of the Alzheimer's disease Wikipedia article, 2008. [Example audio]

Figure 6. This video explains the psychology behind the fear of flying. [Example video]

Figure 7. The three basic psychological needs proposed by self-determination theory are considered essential ingredients for intrinsic motivation and psychological well-being.

Figure 8. Implicit motives affect cognition, affect, and behaviour outside conscious awareness. This diagram illustrates major sources of implicit motives.

Figures can be a powerful way to communicate and illustrate concepts in motivation and emotion book chapters (e.g., see Figure 1). Figures can show a variety media, including:

• photographs (e.g., see Figure 2)
• diagrams (e.g., see Figure 3, Figure 7, and Figure 8)
• animated gifs (e.g., see Figure 4)
• audio (e.g., see Figure 5)
• video (e.g., see Figure 6)

The simplest way to embed media is to use material already available in Wikimedia Commons.

Do not upload media directly to Wikiversity; upload to Wikimedia Commons instead.

Finding media

Only media available on Wikimedia Commons can be embedded on Wikiversity pages. Several pathways can be used to locate suitable media:

• Explore and search Wikimedia Commons directly
• Use Wikimedia Commons search via Wikimedia tools:
  • Category browsing (often structured but uneven in quality), e.g. Category:Emotions
  • Search results with thumbnails, e.g. worried
  • Visual Editor search (Insert → Media → File name)
• Use external search tools with licensing filters:
  • Google Images Advanced Search (set Tools → Usage rights → Creative Commons)
  • Creative Commons search engine
  • Google Image search restricted to Commons
• See the motivation and emotion gallery for some starting images

Creating media

Creating media is sometimes the best way to illustrate psychological concepts because it allows you to tailor the content to the topic. Original media uploaded to Wikimedia Commons allows others to use, which is a social contribution.

You can create your own media by:

• Taking photographs
• Drawing diagrams, models, flowcharts, timelines, or concept maps
• Creating graphs, charts, or infographics based on research findings
• Recording audio (e.g., pronunciations, interviews, or narrated explanations)
• Creating videos, animations, or screencasts
• Using the Commons Graphic Lab to request assistance with improving or creating images
• Using artificial intelligence tools where appropriate and in accordance with Wikimedia Commons policies

Student-created diagrams are particularly valuable because they can:

• Simplify complex psychological theories and research
• Visually represent relationships between concepts
• Improve reader understanding and engagement
• Demonstrate your own interpretation and synthesis of the literature

When creating media:

• Aim for accuracy, clarity, and simplicity
• Use readable text and labels
• Ensure that colours, symbols, and formatting enhance understanding
• Create media that can be understood independently of the surrounding text
• Consider accessibility (e.g., colour contrast, descriptive captions, and alternative text)

Before creating new media, check whether suitable material already exists on Wikimedia Commons.

Uploading to Wikimedia Commons

Media may be uploaded to Commons if:

• Equivalent media isn't already available on Commons
• You created the media or it is licensed for free reuse (e.g., Creative Commons Attribution or public domain)
• The media is educational

Upload process:

• Go to Wikimedia Commons
• Select Upload Wizard
• Provide required metadata, including:
  • Copyright owner
  • Licence type
  • Description of image

Once uploaded to Commons, media can be embedded in Wikiversity pages (e.g., see Figures 7 to 8)

Embedding media

Media can be inserted on a Wikiversity page using the Visual Editor:

• Edit page → Insert → Media → File
• Add:
  • Caption
  • Size
  • Position

Best practice:

• Ensure media content directly supports surrounding text
• Use consistent numbering across figures within a page
• Add at least one in-text citation (e.g., see Figure 1)

Customise figure presentation

Figures should follow clear academic conventions:

• Size
  • Optimise for viewing (not too large or small)
  • Increase size for complex diagrams requiring readability
• Position
  • Right alignment is standard for text flow
  • Centre alignment is suitable for conceptual models or key figures
  • Left alignment is rarely used
• Captions
  • Must be descriptive and interpretable without the main text
• Referencing
  • Each figure must be explicitly cited in text (e.g., see Figure 1)
• Integration
  • Figures must directly support the argument or explanation in adjacent text

See also

• Figures (Motivation and emotion book chapter template)
• Images, tables, video, and sounds (Wikiversity help page)
• Media (Wikiversity help page)
• Tables (Motivation and emotion book chapter help page)