Although a statistician always uses graphs and other diagrams to help extract information from data, this chapter has concentrated on the subsequent step of reporting the resulting information to others. This is really the final step in a process that involves data collection, data analysis and data presentation.
Paper-based publications were once standard but information is increasingly published electronically. Publication of reports and information on the internet as web pages or downloadable documents avoids printing costs, allows the use of colour, and documents are easily updated when more recent information is available; diagrams can also be dynamic. However computer screens have lower resolution than paper, limiting the detail that can be shown on a single diagram
Reports and other publications
Reports use tables, graphs and text to present information. Principles for effective presentation of data in tables and graphs were described in earlier sections. Textual annotation should be considered to point out important features. Text should interpret but not simply repeat information.
Clear presentation is an art as well as a science and must take into account the level of the intended audience. As stated by Edward Tufte,
Excellence in statistical graphics consists of
complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision and efficiency. |
Innovative graphics
Most reports contain only tables and graphs of the types described in earlier sections of this chapter. Technical publications may use more advanced graphics, but there is also scope to devise novel simple ways to effectively display specific types of data. These may link together several simple graphs in ways that encourage the eye to identify patterns and relationships, or they may be completely original.
Always spend time critically examining any reports
that you write for their clarity, precision and efficiency. |