This workshop provides a discussion of issues to consider when designing statistical graphs. Topics include:

1. tables vs graphs
2. audience and setting
3. representing data accurately
4. highlighting comparisons of interest
5. simplicity and clarity
6. color

Several sets of graphs are examined that attempt to "tell the same story" and discussion will center on why one display may be preferable to another. While the workshop goes over the pros and cons of using bar graphs, dot plots, line graphs, box plots, violin plots and several other graph types, the discussion is implementation tool independent, and is intended to be useful for those building graphs using R Base Graphics, ggplot2, and Stata Graphics, as well as many other tools.

Audience

Researchers who are constructing statistical graphs regardless of the implementation tool being used.

Format

Example-based lecture/discussion. Focus is on concepts rather than implementation tools, and therefore this is not a hands-on workshop.

Downloads

Presentation (PDF)