The honest report
A good report on data has five parts. What are they? Each part is chosen with care.
Loading lab…
Step 1 of 5
- Five parts, none checked yet.
- Question checked: count, share, or ordered change.
- Table checked: each value, its frequency beside it.
- Average and chart checked: which one, and which picture.
- Units checked. All five done.
The rule
The question. It decides which average and which chart to use.
The table. Each value with its frequency. Every average and chart is made from this table.
The average. Use a plain average when every reading counts the same. Use a weighted average when readings count differently.
The chart. Pick it for the answer wanted. A chart of shares gets its total written beside it.
The units. A unit says what a number counts: quintals, marks, minutes. A number with no unit is unclear. Say when data is invented.
| Part | What gets named |
|---|---|
| Question | count, share, or change along an order |
| Table | each value, with its frequency |
| Average | which one, and what the weights are |
| Chart | which of the five, with the total beside |
| Units | what the numbers are counted in |