Creating More Effective Graphs
by Naomi B. Robbins
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Book Summary Information
Author: Naomi B. RobbinsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-12-31
ISBN: 047127402X
Number of pages: 424
Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
Book Reviews of Creating More Effective Graphs
Book Review: For Person Unsure of REALLY Changing Graphing Ways: 5 Stars; for more statistical person: 3 Stars
Summary: 5 Stars
This book gets 5-stars for those persons that have trepidation about really modifying how they do graphing. For the fearful person, no other book is as gentle, yet effective, at convincing you of the inadequacy of your simple (most likely Excel) ways.
The real point of Effective Graphs (both this book and the subject itself), though, is not making graphs just a little bit better. There's much more substance than a minute improvement in one's graphs. The real point is that data behaviour elucidation has two rather distinct paradigms: (1) the statistical inference paradigm (tables of descriptive statistics, parameter estimation, test statistics, hypothesis testing) or (2) the William S. Cleveland Visualization Paradigm (well-done simple graphs as well as graphs plotting more complex or highly-derivative quantities).
In the statistical inference paradigm, what one sees, literally, is only big bunches of numerals -- the depiction of those abstract entities we call numbers. In point of fact, even if you were literally blind, the statistical inference paradigm of data behaviour elucidation would work just as well for you as it would for a sighted person. In diametrically opposite contrast is the William S. Cleveland Visualization paradigm in which you will literally SEE data behaviours. This is what this book is about.
"Creating More Effective Graphs" is about SEEing data behaviours. The book is therefore targeted to anybody who wants to show data behaviour, but especially those folks not in the scientific or statistical worlds -- although, people in those worlds will also find, as the title suggests, very effective ideas when taken to heart. For the more advanced issues of data behaviour formulated as rather advanced statistical questions, you should refer to William S. Cleveland's book, "Visualizing Data", which shows how even advanced statistical questions can be addressed in the visualization paradigm.
The conclusion is this: if you want to make a truly substantive improvement in data behaviour depiction and elucidation by your graphing, then "Creating More Effective Graphs" will be an admirable companion in this endeavor. If you need a reference on the "whole enchilada" of what is available in the visualization paradigm on data behaviour elucidation including the more advanced statistical issues, then you will need William S. Cleveland's "Visualizing Data" book.
A FOOTNOTE ON COLOR: Other reviewers' talk of color lacking in the book are completely misguided. The visualization paradigm can do so extremely much in purely black and white. Fanciness and color is not what visualization of data behaviours is about. (And need it be pointed out that there is the great convenience of transmitting and reproducing your effective graphics in black & white.) Well-done graphics using principles of human graphical perception (see William S. Cleveland's "Elements of Graphing Data") and often advanced computations in order to construct advanced plots and plot ensembles is the heart of the visualization paradigm. But on the topic of color, William S. Cleveland does give some good advice in his "Visualizing Data" book. (Just as an example, we all think that the "rainbow" scale for visualizing temperatures of an object or scene is the obvious right choice. Cleveland explains how such a choice is BAD for a variety of reasons. The right choice is a mere two hues with varying degrees of lightness to encode the temperatures.)
Summary of Creating More Effective Graphs
A succinct and highly readable guide to creating effective graphsThe right graph can be a powerful tool for communicating information, improving a presentation, or conveying your point in print. If your professional endeavors call for you to present data graphically, here's a book that can help you do it more effectively. Creating More Effective Graphs gives you the basic knowledge and techniques required to choose and create appropriate graphs for a broad range of applications. Using real-world examples everyone can relate to, the author draws on her years of experience in graphical data analysis and presentation to highlight some of today's most effective methods.
In clear, concise language, the author answers such common questions as:
- What constitutes an effective graph for communicating data?
- How do I choose the type of graph that is best for my data?
- How do I recognize a misleading graph?
- Why do some graphs have logarithmic scales?
In no time you'll graduate from bar graphs and pie charts to graphs that illuminate data like:
- Dot plots
- Box plots
- Scatterplots
- Linked micromaps
- Trellis displays
- Mosaic plots
- Month plots
- Scatterplot matrices
. . . most of them requiring only inexpensive, easily downloadable software.
Whether you're a novice at graphing or already use graphs in your work but want to improve them, Creating More Effective Graphs will help you develop the kind of clear, accurate, and well-designed graphs that will allow your data to be understood.
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