ANATOMY OF A DOTPLOT Typically used for a small data set, a Dotplot uses a dot for each time a value occurs. For example, there were two occasions where the time between eruptions was 47 minutes. For larger data sets a dot may represent more than one occurrence of a value. Dotplots display the distribution of a data set’s values across its range . Building a Dotplot: 1) Draw the horizontal axis. 2) Label the axis (pounds, cm., %, etc.) and insert the scale being used (e.g. 0 – 85% ). 3) Place a dot above the scale line for each occurrence of a value. 4) Add a title describing the chart’s contents and any other information about the data that might be useful. Title Y-axis label (here Frequency) is generally not found as the stacks represents counts THE DOTS: One per occurrence The labeled x-axis represents the value being collected (here minutes). Footnote: Not always a part of the plot, but helpful in giving additional information