A Visual Guide to Stata Graphics, Second Edition - By Michael Mitchell

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Preface

Weighing in with 20% more pages than the original, the second edition of A Visual Guide to Stata Graphics is no mere update. Author Michael Mitchell adds coverage of almost every feature added to Stata graphics since the first edition. Foremost among these additions is the interactive Graph Editor, introduced in Stata 10, of which the author says

[...] You need to use the Graph Editor for only a short amount of time to see what a smart and powerful tool it is. Whereas commands offer the power of repeatability, the Graph Editor provides a nimble interface that permits you to tangibly modify graphs like a potter directly handling clay.

Mitchell adds an extensive chapter about the Editor, where he first introduces the Graph Editor then shows it in action. This chapter maintains the overarching style of the book by using over 120 color graphics and screen captures to show exactly how things are done and exactly how they look on the graph. With pictures and words, Mitchell shows you how to change the color, size, or placement of any titles, markers, annotations, or other objects on your graph by using just a few mouse clicks. More subtly, he shows you how to change such things as the number of ticks and labels on your axes, the number of columns in your legends, the label on an individual point, and more. He even shows you how to convert, for example, a scatterplot to a line plot and how to rotate or pivot bar charts. Mitchell also covers such advanced topics as how to draw lines and arrows on graphs so that they continue to reference your objects of interest even if you resize the graph, combine it with other graphs, or change the scale or range of the axes. In short, he exposes all the Graph Editor’s tools, from the simplest to the most powerful. Mitchell does not stop there; almost every example in the book now shows you how to accomplish the desired graph or effect not only by using a command or command-line option but also by using the Graph Editor. Just look for the symbol to learn how to produce the displayed result with the Editor.

Beyond the Graph Editor, Mitchell covers major new features such as time-series axes with intuitive controls for labeling and adding text and lines; panel-data plots; and local polynomial smooths and CIs (which join a host of previously discussed smooths and fits). He also covers more-specific new features such as options for controlling aspect ratios and for changing all text sizes simultaneously.

The second edition of A Visual Guide to Stata Graphics is a complete guide to Stata’s graph command and the associated Graph Editor. Whether you want to tame the Stata graph command, quickly find out how to produce a graphical effect, master the Stata Graph Editor, or learn approaches that can be used to construct custom graphs, this is the book to read.

1. Introduction
   1. Using this book
   2. Types of Stata graphs
   3. Schemes
   4. Options
   5. Building graphs

2. Graphics Editor
   1. Overview of the Graph Editor
   2. Object Browser
   3. Modifying objects
   4. Adding objects
   5. Moving objects
   6. Hiding and showing objects
   7. Locking and unlocking objects
   8. Using the Graph Recorder
   9. Graph Editor versus Stata commands

3. Twoway Graphs
   1. Scatterplots
   2. Regression fits and splines
   3. Regression confidence intervals (CI) fits
   4. Line plots
   5. Area plots
   6. Bar plots
   7. Range plots
   8. Distribution plots
   9. Options
   10. Overlaying plots

4. Scatterplot Matrix Graphs
   1. Marking options
   2. Controlling axes
   3. Matrix options
   4. Graphing by groups

5. Bar Graphs
   1. Y-variables
   2. Graphing bars over groups
   3. Options for controlling gaps between bars
   4. Options for sorting bars
   5. Controlling the categorical axis
   6. Legends and labeling bars
   7. Controlling the y-axis
   8. Changing the look of bars
   9. Graphing by groups

6. Box Plots
   1. Specifying variables and groups
   2. Options for controlling gaps between boxes
   3. Options for sorting boxes
   4. Controlling the categorical axis
   5. Controlling legends
   6. Controlling the y-axis
   7. Changing the look of boxes
   8. Graphing by groups

7. Dot Plots
   1. Specifying variables and groups
   2. Options for controlling gaps between dots
   3. Options for sorting dots
   4. Controlling the categorical axis
   5. Controlling legends
   6. Controlling the y-axis
   7. Changing the look of dot rulers
   8. Graphing by groups

8. Pie Graphs
   1. Type of pie graphs
   2. Sorting pie slices
   3. Changing the look and color and exploding pie slices
   4. Slice labels
   5. Controlling legends
   6. Graphing by groups

9. Options available for most graphs
   1. Changing the look of markers
   2. Creating and controlling marker labels
   3. Connecting points and markers
   4. Setting and controlling axis titles
   5. Setting and controlling axis labels
   6. Controlling axis scales
   7. Selecting an axis
   8. Graphing by groups
   9. Controlling legends
   10. Adding texts to markers and positions
   11. More options for texts and textboxes

10. Standard options available for all graphs
    1. Creating and controlling titles
    2. Using schemes to control the look of graphs
    3. Sizing graphs and their elements
    4. Changing the look of graph regions

11. Styles for changing the look of graphs
    1. Angles
    2. Colors
    3. Clock position
    4. Compass direction
    5. Connecting points
    6. Line patterns
    7. Line width
    8. Margins
    9. Marker size
    10. Orientation
    11. Marker symbols
    12. Text size

12. Appendix
    1. Overview of stastistical graph commands
    2. Common options for statistical graphs
    3. Saving, redisplaying, and combining graphs
    4. More examples: Putting it all together
    5. Common mistakes
    6. Customizing schemes
    7. Online supplements

Subject Index