Creating Graphs and APA formatted Tables 7 Figures
How to Create a Graph in Google Sheets:
Create your Table of Values
• Left column contains your independent variables
• Right column contains your dependent variable
• 1st Row contains the column titles (with units in the column NOT in the individual numeric
entries see Basic APA rules)
Highlight the table
Choose Insert Graph
Chart Type choose Scatter Plot
Select Customize
Select Horizontal Axis and DE-select “Treat Labels as text”
Select Series
• Pick Trendline
• Choose Type which for this lab will be “Linear” (since we are finding slope of line of best
fit)
• Under Label change None to Use Equation
Choose Chart and Axis Titles
• Under Chart title remove the Chart title (you will title it in APA format under the graph
later).
• Click on the Type arrow now and chose Horizontal Axis. Label your horizontal axis with
full words and units.
• Click on the Type arrow again and choose Vertical Axis. Label your vertical axis with full
words and units.
Now copy your graph (control C) into a google doc or word document that contains your lab. Remember
to APA your Tables and Figures. Table number go above the table with a FULL description of the table.
Figure #s go under the graph/figure followed by a title in bold and a FULL description of what the figure
is showing.
How to Make a Graph in Excel:
• Open Excel
• Make a data table with independent (x) in left column and dependent (y) in right column
• Highlight table values, then select ‘INSERT’ SCATTER PLOT (do not select the one with connected
dots).
• Go up to the menu and Select a CHART LAYOUT and type in your axis titles and units. Also give
the graph a title (always y vs x)
• Left click on a point. Then right click. Select ‘ ADD TRENDLINE’. Pick the appropriate
relationship. In the friction lab it will be a linear relationship.
• Then right click on the line and pick ‘FORMAT TRENDLINE’. At the bottom you may pick the
option DISPLAY EQUATION ON CHART.
• Your graph may now be copied (control C) into a word document.
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APA Tables:
• Double Space
• Table # and description are ABOVE the table.
• Table # is NOT italicized.
• Table description IS italicized.
• Units are in the row/ column titles NOT listed in each entry.
APA Figures (Graphs, pictures):
• Figure # and description are BELOW the figure.
• A figure does NOT have a title above the graph. The title is placed below with the figure
# and the description. The description that is below the figure should be a
FULL description of what the figure is showing. (i.e not just Voltage versus Current)
14.0
12.0 y = 4.0187x + 0.0567
10.0
Voltage (V)
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
Current (A)
Figure 1: Voltage measured across a resistor and the corresponding current measured
through the resistor. The figure shows the relationship between the voltage and the current for
a specific value of resistor. According to Ohm’s Law the slope of the line of best fit will be the
value of the resistor.
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References:
References in APA are called References (not Works Cited – that is MLA)
Format for books
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for
subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Format for online periodical
Bernstein, M. (2002). 10 tips on writing the living Web. A List Apart:
For People Who Make Websites, 149. Retrieved from
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving
A reference to show how to do ALL kinds of references (electronic, periodicals etc.) and to
do in text ciations is ………..
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/08/
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