Introduction to Presenting Data
Date:
16/06/2026
Organised by:
The Royal Statistical Society
Presenter:
Dr Jenny Freeman
Level:
Entry (no or almost no prior knowledge)
Contact:
Description:
Level: Foundation (F)
It has been asserted that ‘the purpose of a scientific paper is to communicate, and within the paper this applies especially to the presentation of data’ (Altman & Bland, 1996) and effective data presentation is an essential skill for anybody wishing to display or publish research results. However, good display does not always happen in practice and when done poorly, it can convey a misleading or confusing message.
This 3-hour course is aimed at individuals who need to understand how to display and interpret data, and it is hoped that by the end of the course they will have a greater understanding of the methods available for displaying data and the tools to display data appropriately and clearly, with the use both graphs and tables.
Learning Outcomes
The purpose of this course is to introduce the principles of good design and layout to the presentation of data, as an aid to better understanding and to learn about appropriate methods for displaying and summarising data.
Topics Covered
- Types of data
- Summarising data
- Displaying data
- Tufte’s principles for the visual display of quantitative data
- Common problems/errors in displaying data
- Presentations and posters
The course will incorporate lectures and discussion, with several practical sessions. The practical sessions will involve both individual exercises on tabulating and displaying data and small group work critically appraising the tables and graphs in published papers. Participants may bring their own data to discuss.
Target Audience
This course is for anyone who is involved in communicating statistics to non-statisticians or who reports on data – of any description – within organisation, to specific communities and to the general public where a message is being given.
Prior knowledge/experience required
None, however, basic numeracy will be assumed.
Cost:
From £300.00 to £396.00 (inc. VAT)
Competitively priced with discounts for early bird bookings, group bookings & RSS members.
Website and registration:
Region:
Greater London
Keywords:
Quantitative Data Handling and Data Analysis, Types of data, Summarising data, Displaying data, Presentations, Posters
Related publications and presentations from our eprints archive:
Quantitative Data Handling and Data Analysis