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> Does ANYONE here support omitting table and/or figure numbers?
Sure, I support omitting the numbers, under a few conditions:
A) If there are no (or very few) cross-references to the tables/figures.
In particular, if figures are small and are always placed in the
flow of text, I don't see much use for the numbers. Some examples
which might be on your bookshelf include: Horton's Illustrating
Computer Documentation, the Microsoft Manual of Style, most
Adobe manuals, the Robohelp Office manual, and many dictionaries.
Sometimes you can even get away with omitting captions.
B) If there's never more than one table or figure on a page.
I agree that in this case, the page number alone is sufficient.
C) If it's important to keep a very friendly, informal tone.
Numbering always seems to add a bit of formality.
D) If there's any chance that the numbers might get messed up
during the publishing process. No numbering is better than
wrong numbering.
