A-manual-for-writers-of-research-papers-theses-and-dissertations

When you create a line graph from only a few values, the lines will be less precise. So ifyou plot fewer than ten values (called data points), indicate that by adding a dot at eachdata point, as in figure 8.9. If those values are relevant, you can add numbers above thedots. Do not add dots to lines plotted from ten or more data points.Compare figure 8.8 and figure 8.9. Beyond its general story, figure 8.8 is harder to readbecause the shades of gray do not distinguish the lines well and because our eyes have to flickback and forth to connect lines with variables and their numbers. Figure 8.9 makes thoseconnections clearer.These different ways of showing the same data can be confusing. You can cut through thatconfusion if you first represent the same data in different ways (your computer program willusually let you do that quickly), and then ask someone unfamiliar with the data to judge therepresentations for impact and clarity. Be sure to introduce the representations with a sentence