Guidelines for Creating Graphs

[Revised: May 29, 2005]

The graph should have a title.

Label the X and Y-axes.

Numbers always increase from left to right along the horizontal axis (the x-axis) and from bottom to top along the vertical axis (the y-axis).

Y-Axis:

In order to determine the units on the y-axis, find the highest and lowest values for the data that you are using. 

Round down the lowest value to a reasonable base (e.g., if the low figure is 2396, the bottom figure on your graph would be 2000).   (some texts call this a "convenient number).

Subtract the bottom figure from the top figure and divide by ten.  This will give the student the spacing for approximately 10 even categories on the y-axis.

The categories should be some reasonable multiple of a hundred or a thousand.  For example, if, after dividing by 10, the student has a number like 1199.1, use increments of 1000 for your categories on the Y-Axis.  This may give the student slightly more (or less) than 10 categories, which is fine.  The goal is to have approximately ten categories.

The top category on your graph will be some convenient number over the highest value in your data (e.g., if the top value is 14, 387 and your categories increase by 1000, the top category is 15000).

X-Axis:

The x-axis is easy.  It is either going to refer to the years the data represent or counties.

Finally:

Use one full page for each graph.  The body of the graph should fill up as much space as possible.

Provide a source for the information in the graph or table (e.g., FBI Crime Index, or U.S. Census, or Russ Long/s Notes).