The Effective Use of Graphs

Abstract

Graphs are a common method to visually illustrate relationships in the data. The purpose of a graph is to present data that are too numerous or complicated to be described adequately in the text and in less space. Do not, however, use graphs for small amounts of data that could be conveyed succinctly in a sentence. Likewise, do not reiterate the data in the text since it defeats the purpose of using a graph. If the data shows pronounced trends or reveals relations between variables, a graph should be used. If the data doesn't show any significant trend in the evidence, a graph is not the figure of choice.[1]