Table of contents

  1. Choosing the correct chart
  2. Choice of data
  3. Comparing data sets – shared horizons
  4. Comparisons of magnitude (size)
  5. Time series
  6. Bar charts for time series
  7. Line charts for time series
  8. Dot plot with line for time series
  9. Multiple time series
  10. Small changes over time, not starting the y-axis at zero
  11. Ranking
  12. Part-to-whole
  13. Deviation
  14. Distribution
  15. Correlation

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Dot plot with line for time series

Use a dot plot with a line when there are lots of data points or the interval between data points is not equal. Show if data are irregular.

Do

Example of dot plot with a regular axis

A dot plot chart with a irregular data points joined together with a line. The x axis increases in ten-year intervals and there is a large gap in data between 1940 and 1960.

Do not

Example of dot plot with an irregular axis

A dot plot chart with an irregular axis making the points harder to read. The x axis increases in intervals of five and ten with large gaps between.