science iconHow To Construct a Scientific Line Graph
Step What To Do How To Do It
1 Identify variables
  1. Independent Variable -
    (controlled by the experimentor)
    • Goes on the X axis (horizontal)
    • On the left side of a data table
  2. Dependent Variable -
    (changes with the independent variable)
    • Goes on the Y axis (vertical)
    • On the right side of a data table
2 Determine variable range
  1. Subtract the lowest data value from the highest data value
  2. Do each variable separately
3 Determine graph scale
  1. Determine a scale,
    (the numerical value for each square),
    that best fits the range of each variable
  2. Spread the graph to use MOST of the available space
4 Number and label each axis     This tells what data the lines on your graph represent
5 Plot data points
  1. Plot each data value on the graph with a dot
  2. You can put the data number by the dot, if it does not clutter your graph
6 Draw graph
  1. Draw a curve or a line that best fits the data points
  2. Most graphs of experimental data are not drawn as "connect-the-dots"
7 Title graph
  1. Your title should clearly tell what the graph is about
  2. If your graph has more than one set of data, provide a "key" to identify the different lines