Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
When should I pick Scatter plot?
When the story is: correlation, outliers and clusters in two measures.
When should I avoid Scatter plot?
Skip it in cases like: one axis is not quantitative, or time is the real story.
Who invented or popularised it?
John Herschel plotted orbits; Galton’s 1880s regressions made the form famous
What does it encode?
position of points on two quantitative axes
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Scatter plot encodes values as position of points on two quantitative axes. John Herschel plotted orbits; Galton’s 1880s regressions made the form famous.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits correlation, outliers and clusters in two measures. Skip it when one axis is not quantitative, or time is the real story.
Rules
- Rules 1 — Use position of points on two quantitative axes as one channel, not two.
- Rules 2 — Direct labels beat a distant legend.
- Rules 3 — Do not hide zero. If you break the axis, say so.
- Rules 4 — Colour encodes category or magnitude, not both.
- Rules 5 — Put the claim in the title, not just "Scatter plot".
- Rules 6 — Source and period, even in small type.
Palette
- Palette 1 — Categories: distinct hues. Sequences: one hue, changing value.
- Palette 2 — Diverging: a neutral centre, emphasis at both ends.
- Palette 3 — One brand colour plus greys beats a rainbow.
- Palette 4 — Check contrast on a projector and in greyscale print.
Type
- Type 1 — Tabular figures for numbers. Do not pour body copy into the chart.
- Type 2 — Titles as sentences; axes as short nouns.
- Type 3 — For CJK, drop weight one step and leave tracking.
Scatter plot: honour position of points on two quantitative axes, and switch when one axis is not quantitative, or time is the real story.