The Cheese Stands Alone
Tables and figures must be able to stand alone. In other words, the reader should be able to understand what is being presented without any other knowledge of the topic. Include:
- A descriptive title at the top
- A note at the bottom detailing the source of the data
- Any labels needed for understanding what is being presented
Creating Figures
You can use any tool to visualize your data for this assignment. Many data producers allow you to create and customize your own figures from within their databases. In addition, both Excel and Google Sheets can be used to create simple figures in three steps:
1. Create a simple table in Excel or Google Sheets with the data you want to visualize. If the data isn’t already available in spreadsheet format just copy and paste it from the source document.
2. Use the mouse to highlight the columns that you wish to visualize (hold down CTRL to highlight multiple columns). In this case the country names and the CO2 emissions per capita are highlighted.
3. Select Insert>Chart to launch the chart editor and then customize your figure!
