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All figures need the following elements:
Labeled axes
(b) capitalization of only the first word of the title and subtitle (which follows a colon and indicates where or the time frame, or both) and any proper nouns (e.g., Percentage of foreign students studying in the United States: Various years, 1990-2003); and
(a) a hanging indent inserted if the title runs more than one line and there is a figure identifier (e.g., Figure 2);
(c) the elements describing how the data are classified (e.g., by control of school, age, and sex of students) in the same order as labeled in the chart area and in the legend.
All axes need to be labeled horizontally, with the same capitalization rule that applies to titles. If there is not room on the x axis for all labels to fit without overlapping, remove every other one (when possible), and lengthen the tick marks for the remaining labels. When this is not possible (such as in the case of categorical labels), put every other label at a lower level than the others, to retain all labels while keeping the text running horizontal. ( But see "6. Tick marks" below regarding year labels.)
Appendix G. Guidance for Producing Figures in Excel That Meet
NCES Standards
Rules for figure titles are the same as those for table titles. For these rules refer to this style guide under Figures and to the NCES Statistical Standards , appendix C (NCES Guidelines for Tabular Presentations). Also refer to appendix H of this style guide.
Title
In particular note that titles need
This appendix is meant to serve as a guide for anyone preparing figures for IES reports in Microsoft Excel. The first pages of this appendix provide a quick overview of the basic elements in most IES figures and an explanation of how to add a chart with IES formatting to your Excel program's choice of Chart Types. The next section provides a guide for selecting colors and line styles for printing figures that require multiple colors or line styles. The subsequent pages demonstrate what Excel’s default settings produce for seven basic chart types and what NCES standards for these figures require. Each chart type is accompanied by a list of the modifications needed to make the default example meet NCES standards (and how to do the most complicated modifications in Excel). This guide assumes a working knowledge of Excel and does not explain every step involved in creating figures. For basic information, refer to an Excel user’s guide.
Note re nonprint media (e.g., web-only materials): In preparing and displaying figures, nonprint media should follow the recommendations of this style guide as far as is practicable. For additional guidance regarding web standards, contact the IES center. Ensure that nonprint media comply with Section 508 accessibility requirements for people with disabilities. (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was reauthorized by the Workforce Investment Act of August 1998; standards for accessible technology were issued in December 2000 by the U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency.)
- Proper scaling
- Legends or labeled data
- Source
Some figures may also need the following:
- Tick marks
- Notes
- Reference notes
All figures must properly identify the source of the displayed data. For rules on how to present sources, refer to the Survey Titles section of this style guide, standard 5-4-5, and p. 187 of appendix C of the NCES Statistical Standards.
All figures must have either a legend (presenting a key to the colors and line styles used to distinguish data) or labels next to each data line or data area. The text for legends and labels should run horizontally. When possible, use labels instead of a legend.
For a guide to preparing a general note, refer to the Tables section of this style guide and to appendix C of the NCES Statistical Standards, p. 186.
For a guide to inserting reference (numbered) notes, refer to the Tables section of this style guide and to appendix C of the NCES Statistical Standards, p. 186.
If tick marks are needed, place them outside the axis. On the horizontal ( x ) axis, include a tick mark for every point for which you have data; omit tick marks where you do not have data. Center scale numbers on the tick marks they identify. If your data points are not at equal intervals of time (e.g., you have data for 1992, 1994, and 1998), place your axis labels at proportional intervals (i.e., show twice as much space between 1994 and 1998 as between 1992 and 1994). Label only the years with data points; but if there are too many to keep the labels horizontal, use tick marks without labels for intervening data points. (See "2. Labeled axes" above regarding other types of data labels.)
All figures with comparable units must use the same scale throughout a report (e.g., 0-10 should be approximately the same size in all comparable figures). Also, scales showing comparable units should use the same scale increments (e.g., 10 percent increments in all rather than 10 percent in some and 5 percent in others).
Except in time-series figures, all figures should have continuous scales starting at 0 or the minimum value on the scale. If a scale break is used, it should be clearly marked (usually with a pair of diagonal lines or a squiggly line).
To get figures to print with consistent scales in Excel (or after being inserted into a Word document), you need to create an object (e.g., a text box) the same height as you want your y axis to be in all your figures. Then you need to size each figure manually by dragging and eyeballing the chart size. There is no way to set the size automatically. Also, it is not always possible to make the y axis in all figures the same height because objects in Excel figures cannot be offset from Excel's underlying grid.
Color and Line Guide
Standard Microsoft Excel Color Palette
A B C D E F G H
Suggested color combinations for bar and area charts that need two or three colors:
A1 H4 A1 H5 H
Files prepared in Microsoft Excel or Word must be converted to PDF for posting on the NCES website and, in most cases, to be sent to GPO for publication. They also must use only black, white, and gray for the final product because Microsoft software does not use the same color system that is used in offset (GPO) printing. The following pages suggest "color" and graphic pattern combinations that can be used to create figures that both (a) reproduce consistently and clearly in black and white photocopies and (b) should hold up when converted into PDFs that can be sent to GPO for publication. However, these are not required color or graphic pattern combinations.
To distinguish among colors, the Standard Microsoft Color Palette is presented below with each column identified by a letter and each row numbered. Printing out this page on a regular black and white printer will provide you with a guide to how these colors print as gray tones. However, products to be converted into PDF and sent to GPO for publications should use only black (A1) and the shades of gray in column H. (Reports with figures in color need to have their figures prepared in professional publishing software.)
two colors three colors
For bar and area charts that need more than three colors and use a legend (a key to the color scheme instead of directly labeling the color fields), repeat these color combinations with an overlaid graphic pattern. Be sure that throughout a single report, the same color and graphic pattern is always used for the same category (e.g., female, Asian, 4-year degree-granting institution, etc.).
Color and Line Guide–Continued
Key to colors: A1 A1 A1 A1 H4 H
Pattern names in Excel 2003: Dark vertical Wide upward diagonal Light horizontal Dark vertical Outlined diamond Wide upward diagonal
Suggested colors and line styles for line charts that need
A1 A
A1 A
H
A1 A
A1 A
H4 H
H4 H
A
A1 A
A1 A
H4 H
H4 H
A1 A
A1 A
H
The following are some possible color and graphic patterns; however, reports may use different color and graphic combinations. Whatever colors and graphic patterns are used, authors should check the reproducible consistency and clarity of every report's figures both in terms of photocopying and PDF conversion.
These graphic patterns can be applied when you select an area's color by clicking on the "Fill Effects" button below the Color Palette, then click on the "Pattern" tab, and select the pattern you want. Note that you can change the default foreground and background color for each pattern.
two lines three lines
five lines
six lines seven lines
four lines
Manual formatting steps for figure 1 (bar chart):
Resize the figure so it is proportionately sized (right-click inside the graph, click and drag any of the corner boxes to resize the chart area), and place the legend so it is easier to read. Note that by dragging the corners of the legend you can expand it vertically or horizontally and the contents will adjust accordingly to the space available.
Delete the tick marks on the x axis (right-click on the x axis, Format Axis , under Patterns make sure the Major tick mark type and Minor tick mark type are both set to none).
Rescale the y axis (vertical axis) to 100 (right-click on y axis, Format Axis , under Scale set Maximum and Minimum appropriately).
Turn off the background border and color (right-click inside the graph, Format Plot Area , under Patterns set both Border and Background to none).
Set all the fonts to the same size except the title (which should be slightly larger) (right-click along the edge of the figure, Format Chart Area , under Font set Size accordingly; then right-click on title text box, Format Text Box , under Font set Size slightly larger than that used in the rest of the chart).
Transform the y axis label to read horizontally (right-click on the label, Format Axis Title , under Alignment set the Orientation to 0 degrees), take off bold, and place at the top of the axis.
Turn off the background grid lines (right-click inside the graph, Chart Options , under Gridlines deselect any marked boxes). Turn off the box around the figure (right-click along the edge of the figure, Format Chart Area , under Patterns set Border to none).
Adjust the color of the bars (right-click on each bar one at a time, Format Data Series , under Patterns set the Area color selection as desired.) For help with color choices, refer to the Color and Line Guide in this appendix.
Enter the title either into a text box or into a merged cell across the top of the chart so that the title can be stretched across the figure precisely (otherwise the title’s width on the page and the number of characters in the title may be arbitrarily constrained). Text boxes can be made by clicking on the text box icon in the Drawing toolbar and dragging your activated cursor to the desired size. If necessary, set the text box’s background fill color to white and make sure it has no border (right-click on the text box so the Format Text Box dialog box comes up and, under the Colors and Lines tab, set the Color under Fill to white and under Line to “No Line”). For guidance on creating hanging indents in titles, see appendix H, guideline C.
Excel default settings for figure:
Excel figure with manual formatting to meet NCES standards:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, "Second Follow-up" (B&B:93/97), Data Analysis System.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1993 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, "Second Follow-up" (B&B:93/97), Data Analysis System.
Figure 2. Cumulative percentage married
each month among 1992-93 bachelor's degree recipients who at the time of graduation had never been married, by
gender: 1993-
(^071421283542)
Months since bachelor's degree
receipt
Percent women
men
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 Months since bachelor's degree receipt
Women
Figure 2. Cumulative percentage married each month among 1992-93 bachelor's degree Figure 2. recipients who at the time of graduation had never been married, by gender: Figure 2. 1993-
Men
Percent
THIS EXAMPLE DOES NOT MEET
NCES STANDARDS.
Default Settings
Formatted
Correctly
(^0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 )
Excel default settings for figure:
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
Excel figure with manual formatting to meet NCES standards:
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 2001-02.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 2001-02.
Kindergarten (5%) Prekindergarten (1%) Ungraded (8%)
Secondary (36%)
Elementary (50%)
Figure 3. Percentage of public elementary and secondary teachers, by level of Figure 3. instruction: School year 2001-
Figure 3. Percentage of public
elementary and secondary teachers,
by level of instruction: School year
Prekindergarten 1%
Elementary 50%
Ungraded 8%
Secondary 36%
Kindergarten 5%
THIS EXAMPLE DOES
NOT MEET NCES
STANDARDS.
Formatted
Correctly
Default Settings
Manual formatting steps for figure 3 (pie chart):
IES STYLE G UIDE G-
Adjust the color of the pie “pieces” so they contrast clearly (right-click on each piece, Format Data Point , under Patterns adjust in accordance with the Color and Line Guide).
Resize the figure so it is proportionately sized (right-click inside the graph, click and drag any of the corner boxes to resize the chart area) and center it (left-click in the plot area and drag the graph to the center). Insert a small line to connect the Prekindergarten label with its pie “piece.” (Note that Excel by default draws lines, but it chooses to draw in different lines than may make the most sense. This feature was turned off in step 2 when all data label options were deselected. However, if you want to keep the automatic labels but not the default “leader” lines, they can be turned off by right-clicking next to the chart, Chart Options , under Data Labels deselect show leader lines.)
Enter the title either into a text box or into a merged cell across the top of the chart so that the title can be stretched across the figure precisely (otherwise the title’s width on the page and the number of characters in the title may be arbitrarily constrained). Text boxes can be made by clicking on the text box icon in the Drawing toolbar and dragging your activated cursor to the desired size. If necessary, set the text box’s background fill color to white and make sure it has no border (right-click on the text box so the Format Text Box dialog box comes up and, under the Colors and Lines tab, set the Color under Fill to white and under Line to “No Line”). For guidance on creating hanging indents in titles, see appendix H, guideline C. If you need percentages rounded to one decimal place or placed in parentheses (or both), turn off the automatic data labels so the percentages can be inserted along with the labels in text boxes (right-click next to chart, Chart Options , under Data Labels deselect all options under “Label Contains”). Insert each label and its corresponding percentage in a text box to round to the first decimal place. Set all the fonts to the same size except the title (which should be slightly larger) (right-click along the edge of the figure, Format Chart Area , under Font set Size accordingly; then right- click on title text box, Format Text Box , under Font set Size slightly larger than that used in the rest of the chart).
Rotate the entire pie chart to the orientation that seems best, with a dividing line between wedges at 12 o'clock (right-click on the pie, Format Data Series , under Options adjust the Angle of first slice accordingly).
Manual formatting steps for figure 4 (stacked bar chart):
Transform the y axis title to read horizontally (right-click on the label, Format Axis Title , under Alignment set the Orientation to 0 degrees); transform the x axis labels to read horizontally (right-click on the x axis, Format Axis , under Alignment set the Orientation to 0 degrees); take off bold and size the x and y axis titles correctly; place the y axis title at the top of the y axis; and center the x axis title below the x axis. Turn off the box around the graph and the background color (right-click inside the graph, Format Plot Area , under Patterns set Border and Background both to none).
Enter the title either into a text box or into a merged cell across the top of the chart so that the title can be stretched across the figure precisely (otherwise the title’s width on the page and the number of characters in the title may be arbitrarily constrained). Text boxes can be made by clicking on the text box icon in the Drawing toolbar and dragging your activated cursor to the desired size. If necessary, set the text box’s background fill color to white and make sure it has no border (right-click on the text box so the Format Text Box dialog box comes up and, under the Colors and Lines tab, set the Color under Fill to white and under Line to “No Line”). For guidance on creating hanging indents in titles, see appendix H, guideline C. Rescale the y axis to 100 (right-click on y axis, Format Axis , under Scale set Maximum and Minimum appropriately).
Change the background gridlines (right-click on any gridline, Format Gridlines , under Patterns select appropriate choices). Turn off the box around the figure (right-click along the edge of the figure, Format Chart Area , under Patterns set Border to none). Set all the fonts to the same size except the title (which should be slightly larger) (right-click along the edge of the figure, Format Chart Area , under Font set Size accordingly; then right-click on title text box, Format Text Box , under Font set Size slightly larger than that used in the rest of the chart). Resize the figure so it is proportionately sized (right-click inside the graph, click and drag any of the corner boxes to resize the chart area). Adjust the color, style, and width of the bars so they contrast clearly (right-click on each data line, Format Data Series , under Patterns adjust accordingly). For help with color choices, refer to the Color and Line Guide in this appendix. Insert the “‡” symbol in a text box above Netherlands' bar to explain why there are no data reported. (See step 1 on how to create a text box.) Select and delete the original data label of “0” if need be. Make sure there is a special note for the symbol placed before the SOURCE. Insert “Lessons with student-conducted experiments or other practical activities in which” in a text box above the legend for clarity. (See step 1 on how to create a text box.) Delete the tick marks on the x axis (right-click on the x axis, Format Axis , under Patterns make sure the Major tick mark type and Minor tick mark type are both set to none).
Excel default settings for figure after setting font size:
Excel figure with manual formatting to meet NCES standards:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, "First Follow-up" (HS&B-So:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), "Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992"; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998; and 2000 High School Transcript Study (HSTS).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, "First Follow-up" (HS&B-So:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), "Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992"; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998; and 2000 High School Transcript Study (HSTS).
General biology
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 Year
Percent
Chemistry II or physics II or advanced biology
Figure 5. Percentage of high school graduates who completed regular and advanced Figure 5. levels of science, by highest level of coursetaking completed: Various years, 1982-
Chemistry I or physics I
Chemistry I and physics I
Figure 5. Percentage of high school graduates who completed regular and advanced levels of science, by highest level of coursetaking completed: Various years, 1982- 2000
Advanced Science chart
General biology
Chemistry I or physics I
Chemistry I and physics I
Chemistry II or physics II or advanced biology
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
2040
2060
2080
2100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
THIS EXAMPLE
DOES NOT MEET
NCES STANDARDS.
Default Settings
Formatted
Correctly
1987
Adjust the color of the data areas so they contrast clearly (right-click on each data area, Format Data Series , under Patterns adjust accordingly). For help with color choices, refer to the Color and Line Guide in this appendix.
Place tick marks under data points. First, turn on minor tick marks on the x axis (right-click on the x axis, Format Axis , under Patterns set Minor tick mark type as outside). Next, manually create tick marks. Set the zoom to 200% so you can be more precise with your lines. Go to “Lines” under AutoShapes on the Drawing toolbar, and select a straight line. Drag your activated cursor to draw a short line on top of the first minor tick mark. Copy and paste the line and use the arrow keys to move it on top of the second minor tick mark. Repeat the last step until you have a tick mark under every data point. Set the zoom back to normal. Use the Print Preview to see how the tick marks print; fussing is usually required to get them placed correctly as they do not usually print as they appear on screen. When all tick marks are placed correctly, delete all the automatic tick marks on the x axis (right-click on the x axis, Format Axis , under Patterns make sure the Major tick mark type and Minor tick mark type are both set to none). Insert text boxes to label the data point with the appropriate year or to mask out unneeded year labels. In both cases the text box should be white with no line for the border. (See step 1 on how to create text boxes.) Position the text box labels or masks appropriately (make sure to check the Print Preview to see how they will print; fussing is usually required to space them suitably).
IES STYLE GUIDE G-
Sample figure 6 starts on the next page.
Manual formatting steps for figure 6 (dropline chart):
Resize the figure so it is proportionately sized (right-click inside the graph, click and drag any of the corner boxes to resize the chart area).
Enter the title either into a text box or into a merged cell across the top of the chart so that the title can be stretched across the figure precisely (otherwise the title’s width on the page and the number of characters in the title may be arbitrarily constrained). Text boxes can be made by clicking on the text box icon in the Drawing toolbar and dragging your activated cursor to the desired size. If necessary, set the text box’s background fill color to white and make sure it has no border (right- click on the text box so the Format Text Box dialog box comes up and, under the Colors and Lines tab, set the Color under Fill to white and under Line to “No Line”). For guidance on creating hanging indents in titles, see appendix H, guideline C. Rescale the y axis to 200 (right-click on y axis, Format Axis , under Scale set Maximum and Minimum appropriately). Transform the y axis title to read horizontally (right-click on the label, Format Axis Title , under Alignment set the Orientation to 0 degrees), size correctly, and place at the top of the axis.
IES STYLE G UIDE G-
Place tick marks under data points. First, turn on minor tick marks on the x axis (right-click on the x axis, Format Axis , under Patterns set Minor tick mark type as outside). Next, manually create tick marks. Set the zoom to 200% so you can be more precise with your lines. Go to “Lines” under AutoShapes on the Drawing toolbar, and select a straight line. Drag your activated cursor to draw a short line on top of the first minor tick mark. Copy and paste the line and use the arrow keys to move it on top of the second minor tick mark. Repeat the last step until you have a tick mark under every data point. Set the zoom back to normal. Use the Print Preview to see how the tick marks print; fussing is usually required to get them placed correctly as they do not usually print as they appear on the screen. When all tick marks are placed correctly, delete all the automatic tick marks on the x axis (right-click on the x axis, Format Axis , under Patterns make sure the Major tick mark type and Minor tick mark type are both set to none).
Adjust the color, style, and width of the data points so they are easy to distinguish (right-click on any point in each data series, Format Data Series , under Patterns adjust Marker accordingly).
Insert a text box over United Kingdom that replicates the label but with a superscripted footnote.
Turn on lines to connect data points (right-click on any point in either data series, Format Data Series , under Options check High-low lines).
Turn off the background color (right-click inside the graph, Format Plot Area , under Patterns set Background to none). Insert a manually drawn horizontal line crossing the y axis at 100. Use the Line shape on the drawing toolbar, and then select and move line as necessary. Set all the fonts to the same size except the title (which should be slightly larger) (right-click along the edge of the figure, Format Chart Area , under Font set Size accordingly; then right-click on title text box, Format Text Box , under Font set Size slightly larger than that used in the rest of the chart).
Excel default settings for figure after setting font size:
Excel figure with manual formatting to meet NCES standards:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public School District Universe Survey," 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1994-95 to 2000-01, "Public School District Financial Survey," 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1994-95 to 2000-01, and Geographic Cost of Education Indexes (GCEIs) available from the Education Finance Statistics Center (http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public School District Universe Survey," 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1994-95 to 2000-01, "Public School District Financial Survey," 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1994-95 to 2000-01, and Geographic Cost of Education Indexes (GCEIs) available from the Education Finance Statistics Center (http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/).
5,
5,
6,
6,
7,
7,
8,
8,
9,
9,
10,
1991- 92
1992- 93
1994- 95
1995- 96
1996- 97
1997- 98
1998- 99
1999- 2000
2000- 01
Urban fringe of a large city Large city
Rural
Mid-size city
Urban fringe of a mid-size city Small town
Large town
$10,
Year
Constant 2000-01 dollars
0
Figure 7. Public school district expenditures per student (in constant 2000-01 dollars), by selected locations: 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1994-95 to 2000-
0
2,
4,
6,
8,
10,
12,
1991- 92
1992- 93
1994- 95
1995- 96
1996- 97
1997- 98
1998- 99
1999- 2000
2000- 01
Large city Urban fringe of a large city Midsize city Rural Urban fringe of a mid-size city Small town Large town
THIS EXAMPLE
DOES NOT MEET
NCES STANDARDS.
Spacing is not proportionate. One year is missing.
Default Settings
Formatted
Correctly
Figure 7. Public school district expenditures per student (in constant 2000-01 dollars), by selected locations: 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1994-95 to 2000-
