Misleading diagrams

• Things to look out for

  • 3D
  • Moving sections away from the rest of the graph
  • inconsistent scaling
  • truncated axis
  • no labels / units
  • use of colour
  • acronyms
  • excluding data
  • practical considerations
• 3D - can make the frequency look more larger as it is in a different perspective.
• Moving sections away from the rest of the graph - highlights the section to viewers making it appear important.
• Inconsistent scaling - often used when comparing large numbers with small numbers.
• Truncated axis - commonly used with large numbers. It can exaggerate differences between data.
• No labels / units - less understanding for viewers.
• Use of colour - should be fairly consistent and not used to highlight a particular element of the data.
• Acronyms - less understanding for viewers.
• Excluding data - if data should represent a whole sector, no elements should be left out.
• Practical considerations - context must be considered such as factoring in inflation.