Graphing Data

Techniques for Display and Analysis

How can applied researchers present and analyze their research data more effectively? By applying the techniques described in this volume, social scientists will be able to make the most efficient use of their data as well as making it more accessible. The book uses many examples to illustrate effective graphical displays of data and offers practical techniques for producing graphs. Beginning with a discussion of what has been learned from visual perception research that relates to graphing data, the book then covers: the use of graphs for summarizing data; the display of multiple units; ways to improve tabular displays; graphical alternatives to tables; two variable scatterplots as graphical support for correlation and regression; how to show variation and the summary statistics together; and how to create more effective legends and titles on a graphical display.