Charts and Graphs

There are lots of different types of graphs, but when making them we must make sure we always present them correctly so people are able to understand the information they contain.

  • All graphs should have a clear title that explains what the chart shows.

  • A key (or legend) should be used if required to identify categories or sets of data.

  • Choose a scale for the axis that makes the data easy to understand.

  • Axis should always be labelled - including units.

  • Pie Charts should have percentage or number labels.

Three common types of Graph are:

Bar Chart

You should use a bar chart when you can physically count what you are graphing and the data is split into categories.


Tutorials:

Example Bar Chart

Line Chart

You should use a line chart when the data is variable and is not in categories. They normally show data that changes over time.


Tutorials:

Example line graph

Pie Chart

You should use a pie chart when you are displaying percentages or a proportion of a whole.


Tutorials:

example pie chart