Chapter 12

On the Menu: Graphing Choices in SPSS

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Working with the Graphs menu

check Introducing Chart Builder

check Using Graphboard Template Chooser

SPSS can display your data in a bar chart, a line graph, an area graph, a pie chart, a scatterplot, a histogram, a collection of high-low indicators, a box plot, or a dual-axis graph. Adding to this flexibility, each of these basic forms can have multiple appearances. For example, a bar chart can have a two- or three-dimensional appearance, represent data in different colors, or contain simple lines or I-beams for bars. The choice of layouts is almost endless.

Tip In the world of SPSS, the terms chart and graph mean the same thing and are used interchangeably.

The Graphs menu in the SPSS Data Editor window has three main options: Chart Builder, Graphboard Template Chooser, and Legacy Dialogs (the other options you see are Python plug-ins). These options are different ways of doing the same job. Legacy dialogs are the original graphs in SPSS and are the choice mainly of people who have been using them for years and who find changing ...

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