How to Write a Research Report Chart

You can create various charts for your research report in Microsoft Excel.

If you want to create a research report chart, a simple and elegant way of doing so is by using a tool in Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet application. It allows you enter numeric data in a spreadsheet and convert the data into a chart that you can easily incorporate into your research report. You can choose from a variety of chart formats, including a pie chart, a line chart, a bar graph, a column chart, an area chart or a scatter chart.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word

Instructions

1. Open Microsoft Excel on your computer. Enter the numeric data for your report into the rows and columns of a spreadsheet.

2. Choose the information you want to chart by holding your mouse clicker down and moving your mouse arrow over the spreadsheet cells that contain the data you want to select. Charts make it easier for the reader to understand how various sets of data relate to each other. Excel will automatically determine how to plot the information in the chart.

3. Click on the "Charts" button at the top of your Excel screen. You will be shown a wide selection of types of charts, encompassing eight pages on your Excel screen. Click on the arrow icon on the far right of your screen to view the next page of chart types.

4. Narrow down your choices by clicking on one of the categories of charts that are listed on a bar just below your "Charts" icon, if you do not want to scroll through all eight pages of chart types.

5. Click on the type of chart you want. Excel will automatically display the chart of your data and embed it in your spreadsheet. Click on the "Toolbox" icon at the top of your display page and follow the prompts to change the layout or design of your chart, as desired.

6. Use the Windows clipboard to incorporate the chart you have made into the main body of your research report in Microsoft Word. Select the chart and data in Excel by holding your mouse clicker down and moving your mouse arrow over it. Click on "Edit," and then on "Copy" to copy it to the clipboard. Click on "Edit," and then on "Paste" to move the chart from the clipboard into your Word document.

Tips & Warnings

• Rest your mouse pointer over any chart type to see its name automatically displayed.

References

• Microsoft.com: Create a Chart From Start to Finish
• Microsoft.com: Chart Your Data in a Worksheet
• Microsoft.com: Basic Tasks in Excel 2010