= How do I plot a boxplot in EXCEL? = You can't produce boxplots directly in EXCEL but there is a rather convoluted work around described [[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/155130|here.]] I also reproduce Microsoft's solution below for some example data. 1. In a new worksheet, type the following data: |||||| ''A1: Statistic'' || ''B1: a'' || ''C1: b'' || ''D1: c'' || |||||| ''A2: median'' || ''B2: 40'' || ''C2: 45'' || ''D2: 50'' || |||||| ''A3: q1'' || ''B3: 20'' || ''C3: 22'' || ''D3: 30'' || |||||| ''A4: min'' || ''B4: 10'' || ''C4: 15'' || ''D4: 18'' || |||||| ''A5: max'' || ''B5: 100'' || ''C5: 110'' || ''D5: 90'' || |||||| ''A6: q3'' || ''B6: 70'' || ''C6: 75'' || ''D6: 57'' || 2. Select cells A1:D6. On the '''Insert''' menu, click '''Chart'''. 3. On the '''Standard types''' tab, click '''Stock''' under '''Chart type''', and then click the fourth chart sub-type. ''The following explanation appears below the chart sub-type: Volume-Open-High-Low-Close. Requires five series of values in this order.'' 4. Click '''Next'''. 5. On the '''Data Range''' tab, click '''Rows''' under '''Series in''', and then click '''Next'''. 6. On the '''Legend''' tab, click to clear the '''Show legend''' check box. 7. On the '''Axes''' tab, click to clear the '''Value (Y) Axis''' check box under '''Secondary axis''', and then click '''Finish'''. 8. Click once on any one of the coloured columns to select the series. Do not click one of the white columns. 9. On the '''Chart''' menu, click '''Chart Type'''. Under '''Chart type''', click '''Line''', and then click '''OK'''. A line that connects the three white columns appears in the chart. 10. Click once on the line, and then click '''Selected Data Series''' on the '''Format''' menu and under '''Display line''' choose '''None''' and under '''Display marker''' choose '''None'''. Click '''OK'''. After some tidying up including the removal of the gridlines and the changing of the background and box colours you should end up with something like [[attachment:box.xls|this]] made using EXCEL 2003. Lane and Sandor (2009) advocate and illustrate the use of boxplots because they encapsulate graphically information on medians, interquartile ranges, ranges and outliers. __References__ Elliott, J and Marsh, C (2008) Exploring Data: An Introduction to Data Analysis for Social Scientists. Second Edition. Polity Press:Cambridge. Chapter 8 introduces boxplots. Lane, DM and Sandor, A (2009) Designing better graphs by including distributional information and integrating words, numbers and images. ''Psychological Methods'' '''14(3)''' 239-257.