Formatting of Plots
1.
Always use
individual symbols for collected data and use solid lines for theoretical
curves.
2.
Do not use
different colors to distinguish between different curves. It is better to distinguish curves with
different line modes or line thicknesses.
3.
Do not use
gridlines on your plots. They are
distracting.
4.
Be sure to
label the x and y axes, including the units of the parameter. For example, “Frequency (Hz)” or “Pressure
(mmHg)” or “Flow Rate (ml/min).”
5.
Make sure
that the x and y axis labels and the numbers are large enough to read. They should be at least 10 point.
6.
Use
reasonable scales on your plots. You
should always include the zero value on the scale, use increments of 1, 2 or 5,
and keep the number of divisions small enough that the axis doesn’t look
crowded.
7.
Get rid of
unnecessary borders and shading.
8.
Move the legend
onto the plot area (to a location where it doesn’t cover any of the data).
9.
Include a
descriptive title for the figure. For
example, use “Figure 1: Pressure drop as a function of flow rate in the stenosis model.”
Compare the default plot
(Figure 1) to the modified plot (Figure 2).
Note that the modified plot is easier to read, yet it requires the same
amount of space as the default plot.
Steven A. Jones