| Using Visual Aids:
Graphs
Graphs are most helpful for showing trends in
data. They generally feature data arranged along an x-axis
and a y-axis.
The x-axis displays the independent variable
horizontally, and the y-axis displays the dependent variable
vertically. When setting up your graph, be sure to label both
axes and to number them at regular intervals.
A graph will also need a title that explains its subject.
Usually the title is only a few words long and is centered
over the graph. Also, remember that if you are using special
colors, shading or line styles within your graph, you will
need a key that tells reader what these various colors, shadings
and line styles represent.
Although the information above is quite general and applies
to most types of graphs, it is imperative that you use the
appropriate type of graph for the data that you wish to represent;
therefore, we will focus on the four most common types of graphs:
the
line graph,
the
bar graph,
the
pie graph and
the
pictograph.
Other resources on using visual aids are suggested
here.
Copyright 2003 by the Academic Center and the
University of Houston-Victoria.
Created 2003 by Candice Chovanec Melzow. |
