How should the map elements be organized?
Note to readers:
This article is part of a set of methodological resources dealing with the map exercise required in the Thinking IR Globally course at Sciences Po. The “map” is essentially identical to the “geographical sketch” used french in high school. Most of the points developed in these resources apply to secondary education.
The title
The title is the entry point to the map and announces its content, so it is important and can take several forms:
- a factual description (theme, period, area concerned),
- a problem statement (rephrasing of a question),
- the announcement of a hypothesis (in the conditional tense),
- the assertion of an argument or idea.
In all cases, the title must be consistent with the content of the map. It is best to avoid an ambitious title when the map focuses on only a few indicators.
The legend
The legend provides the keys to interpret the symbols on the map. It is necessary for a proper understanding of the document. All symbols used on the map must be explained in order to understand what they mean: orders of magnitude, categories, etc. The style should be short and precise to facilitate quick reading, and it should be positioned as close as possible to the map so that the map and legend can be read simultaneously.
The legend can be organized:
- In sections, each of which groups together several symbols. The author of the map then imposes a reading direction (advantage: each subtitle highlights an argument in response to the subject; difficulties: ensure consistency between subtitles and symbols, avoid catch-all categories).
- In lists with no particular order. The author gives the reader the freedom to view the map and pick and choose the explanations in the legend as they see fit (advantage: the reader’s attention is directly drawn to the graphic contrasts on the map; disadvantage: choose your symbols carefully, otherwise important phenomena may be difficult to see).
Finally, when there are only a few symbols, it is possible to place the legend directly on the map in order to simplify it.
Sources
It is essential to cite the sources used in the map! This ensures scientific rigor (the data on the map speaks for itself) and intellectual honesty (the author of the map usually draws on external knowledge, the authorship of which must be acknowledged). Without sources, it is impossible to verify or discuss the content.
Finally, it is important to sign (even if the author is a student) and date a map.