- you can present your data in a photograph, draing, diagram or graph (most common)
- line graphs are the most common types of graphs used in science
- don't make it too compact and don't leave too much white space either
- 3-4 curves should be the max, especially if the curves cross each other
- when lines do cross, it would be best to distinguish each line by thickness or different patterns
- bar graphs are different lengths to display comparative values
- use vertical rather than horizontal bars
- use bar graphs instead of line graphs for discrete data or when findings can be divided and compared in different ways
- scatter plots are similar to line graphs except the dots are not connected by lines
- instead a best-fit line is drawn to show how the two variables are related to each other, can be curved or linear
- data points can overlap which is fine because you are mostly looking for the relationship/correlation between the 2 variables
- place the independent variable on the x-axis and the dependent variable on the y-axis
- if you are req'd to write a title for your paper, the best thing to do is describe what is graphed in terms of y axis versus x axis
- the figure legend should be a description of the figure content
- the legend should contain: title, description of contents and explanations of symbols and abbreviations( (pg. 70)
- figures w/ only figure titles don't usually appear in scientific writing except for on posters and slides
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