

However, we can repurpose a candlestick chart as a method of how to create a boxplot in Google sheets.Ĭandlestick charts are usually used to show min, max, and two quartile values. How to Make a Box and Whisker Plot in Google SheetsĪs mentioned before, Google spreadsheets do not have a feature to specifically create box and whisker plots.
#How to read box and whisker plot software
Finally, look for outliers if there are any.īioVinci is a drag-and-drop software that will let you make a box plot in just a few minutes. Then check the sizes of the boxes and whiskers to have a sense of ranges and variability. First, look at the boxes and median lines to see if they overlap. That’s a quick and easy way to compare two box-and-whisker plots. Data points have to go above or below the box pretty far to count as outliers. When there are outliers, they are dotted outside the whiskers.

Wider ranges (whisker length, box size) indicate more variable data. That’s something to look for when comparing box plots, especially when the medians are similar. Short boxes mean their data points consistently hover around the center values. The same thing can be said about the boxes. Larger ranges indicate wider distribution, that is, more scattered data. Together with the box, the whiskers show how big a range there is between those two extremes. The lines coming out from each box extend from the maximum to the minimum values of each set. If both median lines lie within the overlap between two boxes, we will have to take another step to reach a conclusion about their groups. If the median line of box A lies outside of box B entirely, then there is likely to be a difference between the two groups.īoxes overlap but don’t spread past both medians: groups are likely to be different. These are the medians, the “middle” values of each group. If they overlap, move on to the lines inside the boxes. Non-overlapping boxes, groups are different. If two boxes do not overlap with one another, say, box A is completely above or below box B, then there is a difference between the two groups. They represent the interquartile range, or the middle half of the values in each group. The key information you want to get when reading box plots is: are these groups different, and if so, how? To quickly compare box plots, look for these things: The boxes: But box plots are not always intuitive to read. They manage to carry a lot of statistical details - medians, ranges, outliers - without looking intimidating. box-and-whiskers plots, are an excellent way to visualize differences among groups.
