Creating Graphs Using Excel 2000 and 2003

The Excel 2003 Viewer cannot be used for creating graphs. You must have Excel installed on your computer to create graphs. If you do not have Excel installed on your computer, use Create-A-Graph to create your graphs.

Bar Graphs

Excel 2003 or earlier versions

  1. Start Excel by clicking the icon on the desktop or by selecting Microsoft Excel from the Start menu by clicking Start then Programs then select Microsoft Excel. Excel may be in a folder such as Microsoft Office 2003.
  2. Enter the bar (category) names (X-Axis) in column A.
  3. Enter the value of each bar (category) in column B.
  4. Select the data by holding down the left mouse button as you drag from cell A1 to the last data entry in column B. The data in both columns should be selected.
  5. Click Insert, select Chart... and then select Column. Click Next.
  6. If the preview of the bars shown is satisfactory, click next again. Otherwise, you can change the location of the data in the Data range. Click Next
  7. Right-click on the graph and select chart options. Click the Title tab and then enter a chart title and label the X- and Y-axes. Click Next.
  8. Select As new sheet and then click Finish.
  9. If you would like to save the graph, click File, then Save. To print, click File, then print.

Excel 2007

  1. Start Excel by clicking the icon on the desktop or by selecting Microsoft Excel from the Start menu by clicking Start then Programs then select Microsoft Excel. Excel may be in a folder such as Microsoft Office 2003.
  2. Enter the bar (category) names (X-Axis) in column A.
  3. Enter the value of each bar (category) in column B.
  4. Select the data by holding down the left mouse button as you drag from cell A1 to the last data entry in column B. The data in both columns should be selected.
  5. Click Insert, select Charts, Column, and then select the first item shown under 2-D Column.
  6. On the Layout tab at the top, select Axis Titles to label the X- and Y-axes. Select Chart Title to give the chart a title. These options will enable you to enter the names directly on the chart.
  7. You can save the chart by copying it into a Word document and then saving the Word document. To copy the chart, click the chart and press Control-C. To paste it into a Word document, open Word, place the cursor where you want the chart and press Control-V.

Line Graphs and Scatter Plots

  1. Start Excel by clicking the icon on the desktop or by selecting Microsoft Excel from the Start menu by clicking Start then Programs then select Microsoft Excel. Excel may be in a folder such as Microsoft Office 2000.
  2. Enter each X and Y value in the same row in column A and column B. For example, if the value of X for the first data point is 6, enter a 6n in cell A1. If the value of Y for the first data point is 9, enter a 9 in cell B1.
  3. Click Insert, then select Chart... 
  4. If the data for the X-axis contains text, select line graph and then go to step 6 below. 
  5. If the X-axis data are numerical values, select XY (Scatter). If you would like to view the points connected by straight lines (a line graph), select this picture. The first window in the third row is appropriate for many kinds of line graphs because it shows both lines and data points. If you would like to create a scatter plot (no lines), select the first picture- a graph showing data points but no lines. Go to step 6 (below)
  6. Click Next and then click Next again.
  7. Enter a chart title and label the X- and Y-axes. Click Next
  8. Select As new sheet and then click Finish.
  9. Double-click the Y-axis and select the Scale tab at the top of the Format Axis dialog box. Change the minimum to a number that is slightly less than the smallest data value. Change the maximum to a number that is slightly larger than the largest data value.
  10. If you would like to save the graph, click File, then Save. To print, click File, then print.
 
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