Comparing the Hard to Compare: Uses of the 100% Bar Chart
Standard bar charts are used by journal offices to relate key performance indicators, such as number of submissions, each decision type, number of assignments per editor, or number of reviews completed per year. Typically used less often, is the standard bar chart’s cousin - the 100% bar chart. When used correctly, the 100% bar chart can be a powerful tool for comparing quantities of unequal size. What do you do when you want to compare the data from an incomplete year to previous completed years, or when you want to compare completed years that have significantly unequal values? Typically, we use a standard bar chart; but comparing unequal quantities is even trickier if a further breakdown of the data is needed, such as breaking down submissions per year by article type. A stacked bar chart with segment percentages can be used, but the best choice for this type of comparison is the 100% bar chart. It can make the relative comparison so much easier to see. Looking at the 100% bar chart below, it is easy to see that even though there are only 3 months’ data, the mix of articles coming in is fairly consistent with the types of submissions