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Presenting Descriptive Statistics in Graphs

30 November, 2015 - 16:43

When you have a large number of results to report, you can often do it more clearly and efficiently with a graph. When you prepare graphs for an APA-style research report, there are some general guidelines that you should keep in mind. First, the graph should always add important information rather than repeat information that already appears in the text or in a table. (If a graph presents information more clearly or efficiently, then you should keep the graph and eliminate the text or table.) Second, graphs should be as simple as possible. For example, the PublicatioManuadiscourages the use of color unless it is absolutely necessary (although color can still be an effective element in posters, slide show presentations, or textbooks.) Third, graphs should be interpretable on their own. A reader should be able to understand the basic result based only on the graph and its caption and should not have to refer to the text for an explanation.

There are also several more technical guidelines for graphs that include the following:

  • Layout
    • The graph should be slightly wider than it is tall.
    • The independent variable should be plotted on the x-axis and the dependent variable on the y-axis.
    • Values should increase from left to right on the x-axis and from bottom to top on the y-axis.
  • Axis Labels and Legends
    • Axis labels should be clear and concise and include the units of measurement if they do not appear in the caption.
    • Axis labels should be parallel to the axis.
    • Legends should appear within the boundaries of the graph.
    • Text should be in the same simple font throughout and differ by no more than four points.
  • Captions
    • Captions should briefly describe the figure, explain any abbreviations, and include the units of measurement if they do not appear in the axis labels.
    • Captions in an APA manuscript should be typed on a separate page that appears at the end of the manuscript. See Presenting Your Research for more information.