1. Department of Politics and Government Illinois State University
Gary Klass
Department of Politics and Government
Illinois State University

2. Data Presentation Standards “Graphical Excellence” -- Edward Tufte
well-designed presentation of data of substance, statistics and design
complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision and efficiency
the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space. Best example: Baseball statistics

3. Draw Conclusions from Meaningful Comparisons
One year changes in crime rates are not very meaningful
Rates (and averages) tell more than counts (crimes rates, not crime counts)

5. Defense presentation at John Gotti trial:
This Chart is described in Tufte, Envisioning Information, p. 31.
Reconstructed by Christy Zlatos,

6. Data Presentation Principles
Show the data
Meaningful comparisons
Minimize the ink to data ratio
Tell the Truth -- Avoid data distortion
Sort by a meaningful variable
Charts should be self-contained

7. Show the Data
Illinois State Police, Crime in Illinois 2007 Annual Uniform Crime Report  

8. Illinois State Police, Crime in Illinois 2007 Annual Uniform Crime Report  

9. The problems with that chart
Time goes left to right
Scaling distortion
Unnecessary 3-D ink
Better not to use different colors to measure the same thing.
Year to year changes are usually not important.

10. Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring
(ADAM II): Results for 2007
Justice Research and Statistics Association
October 16 and 17, 2008
Dana E. Hunt, PhD
October 17, 2008

11. A Ten-line Chart

12. Robbery Rates, Ten Largest Cities, 1985-2007 *BJS: Data Online

13. Sort the Data!
By the most meaningful variable
The Alphabet is not the most meaningful variable
Time goes left to right

14. Sort Data by the most important variable
The Alphabet is not the most important variable

15. Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring
(ADAM II): Results for 2007
Justice Research and Statistics Association
October 16 and 17, 2008
Dana E. Hunt, PhD
October 17, 2008

16. Revised Chart

17. Evaluating Recent Changes in Homicide and Robbery Rates
Richard Rosenfeld
Brian E. Oliver
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
University of Missouri-St. Louis
JUSTICE RESEARCH AND POLICY, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2008
© 2008 Justice Research and Statistics Association

18. Sorting data by least meaningful variable
ICJIA, “Trends in Illinois crime: ”

19. Time Goes Left to Right
On Bar Charts
Use shade, not color, to distinguish years (if necessary)
Make the “years” the data series: position years on adjacent bars

21. Evaluating Recent Changes in Homicide and Robbery Rates
Richard Rosenfeld
Brian E. Oliver
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
University of Missouri-St. Louis
JUSTICE RESEARCH AND POLICY, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2008
© 2008 Justice Research and Statistics Association

22. Tell the Truth
Avoid Data Distortion

23. NEW YORK STATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE, 2008 Crimestat Report

24. Illinois

25. NEW YORK STATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE, 2008
Crimestat Report

26. Graphical distortion
Wall Street Journal editorial, "No Politician Left Behind

27. Revised
Note 8th grade reading ‘90: 260 ‘04: 259

28. Revised: Note: Bars depict volume; lines depict rate
Sources long term trend
Note: Bars depict volume; lines depict rate

29. Minimize the ink to data ratio
Never use 3-D
Avoid all ChartJunk

30. Don’t use Pie Charts!!!!!!!
Never use Pie Charts
Never ever use 3-D Pie Charts
Never compare data across two pie charts
The same thing goes for cones, pyramids and donuts

31. Page 1
JRSA, 2008
Community Corrections and
Alternatives to Incarceration
A Heartland Response to Crime
Kansas 2003 Senate Bill 123
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Helen Pedigo
Executive Director
Kansas Sentencing Commission

32. Better but not great… Mentally Ill Offenders in Prison:
Using Data to Examine Issues, Improve Practices
Lettie Prell
Director of Research
Iowa Department of Corrections
JRSA, 2008

33. JRSA 2008
Arizona Homicide Study
Matt Bileski, Research Analyst
Statistical Analysis Center

34. Two pie charts are worse than one

35. Revised Chart: Parolee Employment Status, 2007-8

36. UNIFORM CRIME REPORT, State of New Jersey 2007:

37. Revised chart

38. the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.