Consider the chart below:
When writing percent in the title, and % on the axis marks, is this redundant? Is the word amount preferable?
I haven’t seen this addressed in any style guides such as the APA guidelines.
-
1Please avoid writing "percentage" in the title, just report the quantity that it's represented. For instance, in the example you linked, a more appropriate title would be: "Fraction of the widgets that are blue".– Massimo OrtolanoCommented Mar 9, 2017 at 21:39
-
@MassimoOrtolano: That looks like it can be extended to an answer.– Wrzlprmft ♦Commented Mar 9, 2017 at 22:08
-
Thanks for the input/answer. I did consider "Fraction," but found it equally odd saying "fraction" then reporting percentages. Still, I'm definitely considering your input! Also, thank you Wrzlprmft for the formatting edits. (And the typing tutor that is your username.)– ancientcampusCommented Mar 9, 2017 at 22:12
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
Percentage (parts per hundred) and, more broadly, abbreviations like ppm (parts per million) or ppb (parts per billion) do not describe any quantity, they are just multipliers for dimensionless quantities.
In a graph, instead, you should accurately describe the quantity being represented. In the example given in your question, a more appropriate title would probably be: "Fraction of the widgets that are blue".
In the SI brochure, §5.3.7, the document that defines the International System of Units, it is stated that
In mathematical expressions, the internationally recognized symbol % (percent) may be used with the SI to represent the number 0.01. Thus, it can be used to express the values of dimensionless quantities.
and, furthermore,
Phrases such as "percentage by mass", "percentage by volume", or "percentage by amount of substance" should not be used; the extra information on the quantity should instead be conveyed in the name and symbol for the quantity.
The percent symbol can, instead, appear in the tick labels.
answered Mar 9, 2017 at 22:20
At least in physics, usually graphs do not have a title at all.
answered Mar 10, 2017 at 6:28
-
True, in most forms of academia you can expect something along the lines of "Figure 2: percent of widgets that are blue". Commented Mar 10, 2017 at 13:29