Introduction > Step-by-Step Statistics > Presenting Your Data > Using Figures > Factors to Consider with Figures

Factors to Consider with Figures Important aspects to consider when you're drawing your graphs include: Size - Must be large enough to decipher the legends but not so large it dominates the page. Scientific journals will often limit the space available for graphs so the larger they are the less you can present! Scale - If your largest value is 49, don't have a scale of 1-100. Similarly, be careful in your use of decimal points - only use them if it is necessary. If you're comparing different graphs, they should all have the same scale. Gridlines - Often a personal preference whether you use them or not, but don't have too many - they should be used so you can decipher the values easily but too many are confusing. Colour - If your graphs will be printed in colour, try to avoid bright or luminous colours and yellow. If your work will be printed in black and white, use patterns to distinguish between treatments rather than different shades of black and white! Avoid using a background colour - it detracts from your results. Labelling - Do your axis and legends make sense? Statistics - Have you included error bars or LSD bars to indicate whether differences between treatments are statistically significant? If so, make sure the reader knows what they are. Legend - A reader should be able to interpret your graph through the legend alone, so make it short but descriptive. Exercise It's often obvious what's wrong with figures. Take a look at the following figure and see how many bad points you can spot.

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