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ATPS WINTER 2010 GERI/GOULD/MCBRIDE
Graphics for Your Research Report
Who will be your audience?
“Applied” users (e.g., legislators, nonprofit execs or volunteers, members of policy networks)
Your boss and related coworkers Readers of a professional journal Reviewers of a grant proposal
Know your Audience
What do they want to know? At what level do they operate
analytically? In what form do they prefer to
receive results?
Words and images
Use tables and charts to present numbers Tables for precise numeric values Charts to show trends and patterns, which
values exceed others and by how much Use prose to :
Introduce topics Describe patterns Explain how the data answer (or don’t
answer) the research question
Pie charts
Relative proportions of some classification of data or variable
Nominal/categorical data Works best with 5 variables or fewer
and with substantial differences
Topics of art presented at the 74th Whitney Biennial
Bell-bottom pants and Earth Shoes required for viewing….
Components of the energy bill for a typical US household (year unknown)
This has more than 5 slices, but its comprehensiveness makes it effective
Bar Charts
Help the reader make comparisons across attributes of variables
Variables on x-axis, frequency on y-axis
Vertical charts work best to portray relative magnitudes
Horizontal charts work better when more than 9 bars are compared, and often leave more space for labeling
Source: nationmaster.com, India 2005
Literacy rates in 1981, 2001
Models, etc. Visual thinking is helpful for both
researchers and their clients Model: a representation of reality that
contains only essential components, shows interrelationships
Translating models into visual form clarifies assumptions, eliminates the extraneous
Show initial model, then model revised after research
Request feedback on the usefulness of the model
Logic model for Youth Empowerment Solutions
http://www.sph.umich.edu/prc/projects/yes/YESlogicmodel.jpg
Tell the story of the intervention visually.
Click icon to add picture
http://www.mfrcgagetown.nb.ca/english/images/program_model.jpg
“Working model” of a music therapy project
(see http://www.voices.no/mainissues/mi40006000218.php)
What about statistics?
If you use statistics, report statistical significance (or lack thereof)
Describe patterns (generalize) Provide examples State exceptions from your pattern
found in the data State the direction and magnitude of
any relationship you find
Describing risk and uncertainty
How should we write about controversial events with probabilities difficult to assess?
“Uncertainty” is used to describe an unmeasurable risky event.
If you can attach a probability to an event with a negative outcome, that is a measurable risk.
Be consistent and systematic The IPCC 4th Assessment report is a
model
What do you recommend?
Does your client want recommendations?
Was your research intended to be prescriptive?
Would they prefer options? Are your data strong enough to
support recommendations? Don’t overreach.
If in doubt, be descriptive….but prepare yourself to provide recommendations if asked to do so in a briefing
Self-care
Be disciplined. Develop the ability to quickly crank out a draft of a project
Know your style…some people are comfortable with rough drafts, fill in the holes later…some aren’t—try to find that out when recruiting help
Avoid procrastination…if you are in the habit of leaving major projects until the last minute, ask yourself….what’s causing this behavior?
Leave time for crafting a presentation separate from your analysis that tells the story more visually
Self-care II
Ask for feedback on your report, and be prepared for whatever you hear
Be gracious if it’s less than stellar Use the results to do better next
time Celebrate!