Directions for Making a Single-Subject Graph in Excel

In order to create a graph with broken graph lines, such as for a single subject A-B research design, you must stagger the baseline data and intervention data in two separate columns on your Excel spreadsheet before creating the graph.  For example:

Begin by entering your first baseline data point in cell A1, then continue entering your baseline data points going down, staying in column A.  If you have 3 baseline data points, then, they will be in cells A1, A2, and A3. To create a second graph line, start in the next column, B, at cell 4.  With 5 data points you would enter your data in cells B4, B5, B6, B7, and B8. Next, highlight columns A and B, and click the “Chart Wizard” button on the toolbar (if you cannot find the "Chart Wizard", click on Insert --> Chart.. 

Choose ‘Line’, and begin creating your graph using the wizard (click Next and then click Next again)..

Uncheck Major gridlines on the Gridlines menu and uncheck Show Legend on the Legend menu.

After the graph is created, you need to add the drawing toolbar to your Excel window in order to add a condition change line. You could also copy your graph from Excel (click on the graph and select Edit-->Copy) and paste (Edit-->Paste) it into Word before completing the next steps.

Click the ‘View’ tab at the top of the page, then ‘Toolbars’, then ‘Drawing’.  Your drawing tool bar will appear at the bottom of the Excel (or Word) window.

Choose the ‘line’ drawing tool (the icon is a straight diagonal line).  To add the line to your graph, click where you want the line to begin, and drag to where you want it to end.  (It may be helpful to right click on your graph, click ‘location’, choose ‘as new sheet’ and click Ok.  This will bring your graph to full-page size, making it easier to use the drawing tools and see the changes you are making.) 

Use the ‘text box’ drawing tool (the icon looks like a newspaper) to add more labels to the graph.