Integrating Graphics, Charts, Tables

Into your technical writing documents

General Guidelines for Graphics• Determine the purpose of the graphic

• Evaluate the accuracy and validity of the data

• Refer to ALL graphics in the text– (with the exception of cover illustrations and informal tables)

– Incorporate the reference smoothly

• Avoid clutter– Omit information that is not relevant to your purpose

– Use enough white space

• Position graphics vertically when possible– Else, the page must be turned CLOCKWISE to be viewed

Guidelines for Graphics (cont’d)

• Think about where to put the graphics (where readers need them, rather than a remote location)– Same page as text reference– Page opposite text reference– Page following first text reference– Attachments or appendices

• Provide titles, notes, keys and source data– Follow the graphic number with a short, precise title– Place a note directly underneath the title or at the bottom of the

graphic– Keys or legends may be necessary– Cite your sources as “Source: …” or “Adapted from …”

Integrating Graphics On-Line

• Speed of display: – format of illustration

– size

• Storage requirements – fewer illustrations

– shrink illustrations

– fewer colors

– compress graphics

• Display graphics with text

• Consider providing a thumbprint view and let users zoom in

• For example…

Our project will involve engineers, technicians, and salespeople from three other offices, in these numbers:San Francisco 45St. Louis 34London 6

Total 85

• Merge with text• Are not included in List of Illustrations at beginning of document• Have no table number or title• Do not have headings for rows or columns

Informal Tables

Formal Tables

• Use for complex data separated from text

• May appear on the same page as text referring to it, or in an appendix, or attachment

• Consider how English readers, read left-to-right and subordinate data accordingly

• Avoid excessive use of heavy horizontal and vertical crosses lines that create a “grid” look– Instead use light grey or eliminate some of the lines

• Use plenty of white space

Formal Tables (cont’d)• Be sure table is clear and self-contained• Give each table a title and number • Create clear and concise headings for all columns and rows• Use abbreviations or symbols that the reader would know,

else spell out• Round off number when possible for ease of reading• Align numbers on the RIGHT• Place necessary explanatory notes either between the title

and table or at the bottom of the table• Place footnotes below the table• Place any source references below the footnotes

Tables and Charts

• With all charts, also include the data somewhere for reader (or make it available)

• Proper syntax to refer to charts & tables– In your text: See Table 1.

– With table: Table 1: name

– In your text: See Figure 2.

– With chart: Figure 2: name

Graphics/Illustrations• Data from a table

– Can be formatted in many ways

– Careful with misuse or misrepresentation of data

– Not every chunk of data can be represented with a bar or pie chart

• Choose chart type based on data and what you want to show (purpose)

• Use graphics to show rather than tell

• Make pictures easy to recognize

• Eliminate unnecessary information

Pie Charts

Guidelines for Pie Charts• Use no more than 6-7 divisions

• Move clockwise from 12:00 from largest to smallest wedge

– Exceptions to this rule should only be for a very good reason

• Useful for (when divisible by 100 or add up to 100)

– Percentages

– Money

• Draw and label each wedge carefully• Misuse:

– When the pie wedge that’s large (largest) isn’t what you want to highlight– Too many wedges – no relationship– Wedge sizes that don’t correspond to 100– Wedges too small to accommodate information (labeling)

Bar Charts

Column Charts

Bar & Column Charts

• Used for – Comparison among individual items– Relationship of individual to whole– Changes over time

• Use a limited number of bars – Can have more than a pie chart

• Be sure to show comparisons clearly• Keep bar widths equal and adjust space between bars carefully

– Option A: use no space between bars– Option B: use equal space, but less than the bar width– Option C: use variable space when gaps needed to reflect gaps in data

• Misuse:– Avoid bars that are too close in length (lacks visual impact)– Avoid showing data that are much different in magnitude

Cone, Cylinder, Pyramid Charts

Line Charts

• Use for trends

• Misuse:

Don’t place numbers on chart (too much detail); have numbers in a table

Schedule Charts

• Guidelines– Make chart lines thick as or thicker than axis lines– Use shading under the line if it makes it more readable

• Misuse:– Start all scales from 0 or 1 – Too busy: readers can only focus on 10-15 main activities– List activities in sequence from the top to the bottom of the vertical axis

Project PhasesSelect team

Hold meetingsSelect softwareDesign system

Test system

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Flow Charts• Tell a story about a

process• Usually hard to read

– so present only overviews

– or use multi-page mechanism

• Limit the number of shapes– Provide a legend if

necessary

• Run sequence from – top to bottom – left to right

surveysite

completefieldwork

completelab

testing

writereport

do litreview

doindustrysurvey

completeindependent

lab tests

Organization Charts

• Emphasize high-level positions

• Connect boxes to show reporting relationships

Doughnut Charts

Area Charts

• Used for – Relationship

of individual to whole

– Changes over time

• Commonly seen in geology: layers of earth

xy (Scatter) Charts

Bubble Charts

Radar Charts

Surface Charts