Use of Graphic Aids in Technical Reports

USE OF GRAPHIC AIDS
IN TECHNICAL
REPORTS
EDUC 215 TECHNICAL WRITING IN EDUCATION
BY: MS. GELA EÑOLA-SANGDAAN
MS. NONA A. PALARCA

WHAT IS A GRAPHIC AID?
• Are teaching tools that assists in differentiating instruction, offering greater
access to content and help in better comprehension of new information. It
involves the use of pictures, videos, charts or internet material that relate to
the subject. Graphic aids are perfect for low level readers and also engage all
students in the learning process.
• A graphic aid is a vivid description of something to assist in the understanding
of that something.
• It allows technical information to be condensed.
GRAPHICS - PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN YOUR DATA
PRESENTATION.
REASONS TO USE GRAPHICS:

 Graphics can play a major role in highlighting and clarifying
results and data.
 Good graphics can aid the reader’s comprehension of the
text.
 Graphics can convey trends, comparisons, and relationships
more clearly than text and summarize the data by reducing it to
a manageable size for presentation.
REASONS TO AVOID GRAPHICS:
 If graphics only repeat data already fully presented in
the text, they will reduce reader understanding.
 If graphics are poorly designed, they may be
confusing.
 Graphics are costly to publish (especially color
pictures).
TYPES OF GRAPHIC AIDS
1. Line Graph 9. Histogram
2. Double Line Graph 10. Stem and leaf Plot
3. Pie Graph 11.Time – series Graphs
4. Bar Graph 12. Cosmograph
5. Area Graphs 13. Box Plot Graph
6. Waterfall Chart 14. Scatter Graph Plot
7. Polar Graph 15. Tree Graph
8. Pictograph/ picture Graph
MOST COMMONLY USED GRAPHIC AIDS
GUIDELINES FOR GRAPHICS
 Be sure each graphic is self-explanatory (able to stand alone).
 Be sure each graphic is interdependent with the text.
 In general, use lightface Roman type for illustrations and
tables.
 Consult your discipline’s style manual for specifications for
artwork (such as sketches and diagrams of equipment) and for
guidelines for such graphics as chemical structures & schemes.
 Use photographs appropriately:
a. Obtain written permission to use photos.
b. Remember that detail will be lost during reproduction
and/or reduction.
c. Remember to submit glossy original photos.
d. Label photos on the back with a self-adhesive label
(don’t write on pictures.)
 Design tables well and use them appropriately.
a. Use tables when the data are precise numbers that must be
presented.
b. Use tables when the data are too many to be presented clearly
as a narrative.
c. Use tables when they clarify the significance of relationships.
d. Recall that tables should supplement, not duplicate, text and
figures.
 Think through the design of captions carefully.
a. Be brief.
b. Be sure captions are understandable without reference to the text.
c. Keep the wording for related figures similar.
d. Include the keys to symbols used in the table in the caption (or a
footnote) to avoid clutter in the table.
e. Proofread to ensure accuracy and consistency of symbols.
f. Place credit lines for reproduction at the end of the caption.
SPECIAL TIPS FOR PRESENTATION
GRAPHICS
• First be sure slides are relevant to the talk.You should describe and refer to every
slide. In a sense, you build your talk around the slides (they are the focus).
• Using slides or transparencies allows you a freedom you don’t have with publication.
You can use shapes, sizes, and colors with relative impunity. This is your chance to be
creative!
• Mix informational slides with photographs, charts, graphs, or maps.
• Look for “nutshell” graphics to express your data. Remember the number of slides
you’ll be able to use is limited.
• Always label slides (especially graphs) carefully using large type.
SPECIAL TIPS FOR PRESENTATION
GRAPHICS
• Convey only one main idea per slide (exception: slides that present your
conclusion). Elaborate verbally or use handouts for detail.
• Use of color is effective, but don’t overdo it.
• Choose plain backgrounds for graphs and charts.
• Be sure slide background contrasts well with lettering or figure. (Light background is
traditional; Power point or other computer graphics programs offer more options.)
• End your slide show with a pretty slide – a sunset, a flower (botanists), an animal
(zoologists), a phenomenon (physicists), etc.
DURING YOUR PRESENTATION:
• Don’t mix slides and transparencies in your presentation if you are a novice
presenter. The mixture usually results in an extremely awkward situation (but
not always!).
• Don’t apologize for your slides. If you have to say “I know this slide is hard to
read, but…” consider revising or not using the slide. In fact, try not to
apologize for any aspect of your talk. You should have enough time
beforehand to have your “act together.”
WHY ARE GRAPHIC AIDS “EFFECTIVE”?
• Uses tables to organize information and to draw reader’s attention to particular numerical information.
• Uses charts and graphs to represent relationships among data.
• Uses diagrams to show connections among parts or other relationships. Diagrams are ideal devices to show details
and dimensions.
• Use drawings to represent physical appearance, create impressions, and to illustrate spatial relationships and view of
components.
• Uses photographs or illustrations to record reality, define and provide examples.
• Uses maps to show location of objects in space and relationships between objects and phenomena.
• Uses of icons to label objects, jog memories, and provide simple visual representations of actions, concepts, or
objects.
A GOOD GRAPHIC AID:
1. Accurately shows the facts 6.Shows data without altering the message of the data
2. Grabs the reader’s attention 7. Clearly shows ant trends or differences in the data.
3. Complements or demonstrate arguments presented in the text. 8. A visually accurate.
4. Has title and labels. 9. A diagrams shows the parts of an object.
5. Is simple and uncluttered. 10. A table compares information expressed as numbers.
BENEFITS OF GRAPHIC AIDS
1. Graphic aids improve students performance.
2. It improves student reading comprehension.
3. Improves thinking and learning skills.
4. Aids in retention.
5. It supports implementation of cognitive learning theories.
6. It helps students link existing knowledge organized in schemas to new knowledge.
7. Communicate what words cannot.
8. Appeal visual to learners.
9. Provide pictures that will aid memory and retention.
10. Save space and record information in concise manner.
11. Clarify relationships, such as numerical relationships.
REFERENCES
1. https://pwresources.wordpress.ncsu.edu/201511/10/use-of-graphics-in-research-reports-and-oral-
presentations/
2. https://prezi.com/m/qyrevjni1ghf/graphic-aids/
3. www.slideshare.net/mobile/GhettoClass/graphic-aidpresent

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USE OF GRAPHIC AIDS

BY: MS. GELA EÑOLA-SANGDAAN

MS. NONA A. PALARCA

REASONS TO USE GRAPHICS:

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