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When you create a chart or graph, the axis titles are the labels you assign to the horizontal (X-axis) and vertical axes (Y-axis). The legend title explains the meaning of different colors or shapes used in a plot or chart. Clear and descriptive titles ensure that your audience can easily read and comprehend your data visually without any confusion.
Here are some of the good practices to follow while writing axis and legend titles:
- Be concise yet descriptive: Make sure your axis and legend titles are short and to the point but provide enough information for the audience to understand the data. For example, if you’re creating a bar graph depicting the number of students who graduated from different schools in a city, a good X-axis title could be “Schools,” while the Y-axis title might be “Number of Graduates.”
- Use appropriate units: Ensure that the units of measurement are clearly indicated in your axis titles or legend. If you are showing temperatures over a month, your Y-axis title could be “Temperature (°F)” or “Temperature (°C),” depending on the unit used.
- Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns: For a consistent appearance, capitalize the first word of your axis, legend titles, and any proper nouns while keeping everything else in lowercase.