Field manual 002 / Printable chart checklist

Before you share a chart

Use these questions to turn a visual impression into a proportionate conclusion.

1. Name the exact claim.What does the headline or caption invite me to believe?
2. Read every label.What is measured? In what units? Who or what is included?
3. Find the source.Who made the chart? Can I locate the dataset, report, or original record?
4. Check the time period.Is the range long enough? Could seasonality or the selected start date matter?
5. Check the scale.Where do the axes start? Are intervals equal? Do size, color, or area exaggerate differences?
6. Ask what is compared.Is there a useful baseline, prior period, per-person rate, or control comparison?
7. Look for uncertainty.Are sample size, error, missing data, revisions, or variation reported?
8. Separate association from cause.Does the chart show a change after something happened—or evidence that it caused the change?
9. State a limited conclusion.What is known, unknown, and still worth checking?

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