Describing figures and graphs

a rise

an increase

a sharp rise or increase in …

a steady rise or increase in …

a gradual increase

an initial rise followed by a steady etc. decrease

… peaked at …

a peak of …

a decrease

a fall

a sharp decline or decrease or fall in …

a drop of … per cent GB or percent US

a reduction in …

a steady decrease in …

shows an upward or a downward trend

… remained constant

marked as a shaded area in figure X

shown by a solid line

marked by a dotted line

the top left of the figure

the top right of the table

in the centre GB or center US or middle of the graph

centre GB or center US right or left

the bottom left of the graph

the bottom right of the figure

Data sources and collection

primary sources were:

secondary sources included …

an extensive database

to collect data on …

We obtained data on … from …

Data on … were collected …

… by …

… between … and …

… during …

… at regular intervals …

… continuously

The data were or are compiled from a number of or several sources

the bulk of the data was collected …

Continuous measurements of … were made …

Sampling of … was carried out over a two-week etc. period in July 2013.

Conditions during the sampling period were …

a random sample of …

… selected or chosen at random from …

… randomly selected from …

… provides a representative sample of …

It is estimated that there are …

No data were available for or on …

… is or are omitted here for the sake of brevity

(data not shown)

It is the university’s policy to …

All participants gave their informed consent

Participation in the study was voluntary

We would like to thank … for their participation in the study.