There are a couple of common mistakes associated with many of these graphs that can be avoided with a little forethought. Below are some tips and tricks to avoid these mistakes and ensure your data is presented accurately.
Pie Charts
There have been many articles, blogs, and opinion pieces written about the merits (or lack thereof) of pie charts. One of the more important critiques is that they may lead a viewer to misinterpret data. The best suggestion is to use them sparingly and only use them if there are 5 "slices" or less. In other words, don't have too many pieces of pie! Donut charts (hollow rings) are better alternatives, but it's important to still have only 5 slices.
Bar vs Column Charts
Bar and column charts look similar; a bar chart is a column chart tipped on its side, right?! Well, sometimes. Often, personal style will dictate whether you choose a column or bar chart, but it's important to mention that some research indicates column charts are easier to read and easier to understand.
Dual-Axis Charts
Dual-axis charts are incredibly useful when you want to easily depict how two interrelated variables affect each other. But they are sometimes difficult to read and impose a high cognitive load on the viewer. To reduce the load, ensure that your labels are clear, that it's obvious which data relates to which axis, and try to use data labels to guide the reader to the correct axis.
Bubble Charts
Bubble charts are really popular. After all, they have such a fun name! But it's very easy to misrepresent your data with bubble charts. Remember, your bubbles' area is what represents the data, not the width of the bubble. If you adjust the bubbles' radius instead of the area, your bubble chart will not accurately depict your data. Read more about bubble charts and area here.
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics by 