Topic outline

  • BADGE – Becoming a Digital Global Engineer

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    Intellectual Output

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    BADGE – Becoming a Digital Global Engineer
    Project 2019-1-FR01-KA203-063010 (167 512 512)

  • Objectives

    • After studying this unit, you will be able to …

      1. include a written data description in your project, paper or dissertation;

      2. describe and interpret data presented in a graphical form;

      3. summarise information by selecting and reporting the main features;

      4. make written comparisons where relevant.

  • Warm up questions

      1. Why do we use graphs in projects, papers, academic and scientific articles or dissertations?

      2. What is a written graph description?

      3. What is the difference between oral and written graph descriptions?

  • Did you know?

    • The basic procedure for both oral and written graph descriptions is the same - introducing the graph, giving an overview, analysing the details, interpreting and summarising. A written description, however, tends to be more formal and strict, is often shorter but is also more precise.

  • Instructional material

    • Oral and written forms of communication are similar in many ways but are not the same. If we compare an oral graph description to a written one, a lot of the rules are the same but there are some significant differences we should be aware of. Written communication is the process by which messages or information are exchanged or communicated between sender and receiver in written form. Thus, a written graph description requires a formal register, appropriate vocabulary and structure.

      Text, being a description of data, is a very powerful communication tool. Thus, a combination of graphics and their description can make an article not only easy to understand, but can also attract and sustain the interest of readers. A graph description can explain large amounts of complex information. Indeed, in many academic articles, it is the graphics and their description that creates the first impression and this cannot be ignored.

      In academic articles, charts, graphs, diagrams and other graphics are usually labelled Figures (Fig. 1, and, respectively, 2, 3, etc.).

      When describing graphs, we should not forget about the important processes of making comparisons, categorizing, grouping the data and evaluation.

      Examples of some useful words, phrases and expressions are listed below:

      • as opposed to
      • both
      • compared to
      • greater than
      • however
      • in contrast to
      • less than
      • more than
      • only a small minority
      • the majority of
      • there are considerable differences in…
      • to be closely followed by…
      • to be significantly higher/lower than…
      • to be slightly higher/lower than…
      • to compare
      • to remain the highest/lowest
      • two/three/four times higher/lower than…
      • versus
      • while
      • whilst


      The following graph language can be used interchangeably:

      • If we look at the graph on (title) from (source) we can see…
      • The graph from (source) presents/ shows/ illustrates data on (title)…
      • The x axis (horizontal) is… and the y axis (vertical) is…
      • These columns (bar) are…
      • These lines represent (graph)…
      • These rows are (table)
      • These segments (pie) are…


      Examples of useful phrases and expressions for an overall summary:

      • A key area is … / Two significant areas are…
      • An analysis of the graph illustrates…
      • An important point is… / Two important points I’d like to illustrate are…
      • An interesting observation is…
      • Generally, there is…
      • Looking at ….
      • Overall, there is / has been…
      • What is interesting here is…


      For evaluation and interpretation the following expressions can be helpful:

      • An evaluation of this data suggests / provides evidence for / highlights…
      • One reason for this could be…
      • Overall, this highlights the significance of…
      • Therefore, this provides evidence that…
      • This is (clearly) due to…
      • This is possibly because of…
      • This seems to suggest that…
      • To provide evidence of my previous point the graph highlights…


      Let us focus our attention on key areas.

      (Analysis) The first one is ………. (explain data)

      (Evaluation) This is / was clearly due to …………

      (Analysis) The second one is ……. (explain data)

      (Evaluation) This is/was possibly because of ….

      Overall, this graph provides clear evidence that…

      A future prediction is that……


      Below you will find collocations and expressions used more specifically to talk about percentages and values being compared with each other, both of which are common features of tables and charts:

      • a __% (per cent) increase/decrease in…
      • a large/small percentage
      • a significant percentage
      • an average percentage
      • an estimated percentage
      • just under/over __% (per cent)
      • the highest/lowest percentage

      Collective expressions are another aspect worth considering when describing graphs. They express a collective feature (the type of information they contain) using one word. Such nouns describe axes, bars, columns, etc.

      Some examples are listed below:

      age

      how old

      date

      which day, month, year, etc.

      degrees

      how hot or cold

      duration

      the length of time required

      height

      how tall

      length

      how long

      percentage

      a portion of 100%

      time

      how much time is required

      weight

      how heavy

      width

      how wide

      Summing up effective data presentation and description, we can enumerate some important aspects which should be taken into account.

      First of all, the title of the graph should be appropriate to indicate the subject of the presentation. We cannot forget about the units of measurement and a proper scale to represent data accurately. When describing graphs, we need to interpret the index since colors or shades have a meaning. Data sources should also be included. A graph description should be ordered, logical and comprehensive for the reader.

      In many subject areas, you may need to refer to numbers, statistics and other data. This is likely to be data either collected by other scientists, which you will use to support your written work, or it may be data that you have collected yourself as part of your research. Data is generally presented in the form of graphics, which makes it easier for readers to understand and follow. However, it is often necessary to describe, paraphrase and refer to this type of information in words, as part of a report or written assignment.

  • Activities

  • Further practice

  • Bibliography and references