Context

Never Quote Data Out of Context.

Give the reader enough context to form their own interpretation.

Cherry-picking a timeframe, omitting comparison groups, or showing a metric without its base rate can completely reverse the conclusion a reader draws. Every graphic should include enough context for the reader to form their own interpretation.

Edward Tufte, 1983 · Principle #6 of Graphical Integrity

Charts that apply this principle

Choropleth Map
Regions colored by value, the most common thematic map type.
Regression Plot
Scatter plot with a fitted trend line showing the linear or polynomial relationship between two variables.
Scatter Plot
Plots two numeric variables as points, revealing correlations, clusters, and outliers.

Charts that apply this principle

Choropleth Map

Regression Plot

Scatter Plot