Understanding and the line that divides the box into two

parts. Half the scores are greater than

interpreting box plots or equal to this value and half are less.

How to read a box Inter-quartile range

The middle “box” represents the middle
plot/Introduction to box plots 50% of scores for the group. The range
of scores from lower to upper quartile is
Box plots are drawn for groups of W@S referred to as the inter-quartile range.
scale scores. They enable us to study The middle 50% of scores fall within the
the distributional characteristics of a inter-quartile range.
group of scores as well as the level of
the scores. Upper quartile
Seventy-five percent of the scores fall
To begin with, scores are sorted. Then below the upper quartile.
four equal sized groups are made from
the ordered scores. That is, 25% of all Lower quartile
scores are placed in each group. The Twenty-five percent of scores fall below
lines dividing the groups are the lower quartile.
called quartiles, and the groups are
referred to as quartile groups. Usually Whiskers
we label these groups 1 to 4 starting at The upper and lower whiskers represent
the bottom. scores outside the middle 50%.
Whiskers often (but not always) stretch
over a wider range of scores than the
middle quartile groups.

Interpreting box plots/Box

plots in general
Box plots are used to show overall
patterns of response for a group. They
provide a useful way to visualize the
range and other characteristics of
responses for a large group.

The diagram below shows a variety

of different box plot shapes and
positions.
Definitions
Median
The median (middle quartile) marks the
mid-point of the data and is shown by
 difference that could be explored
further in the Items in
Detail reports and through
consultation.
 The 4 sections of the box plot
are uneven in size – See
example (1). This shows that
many students have similar views
at certain parts of the scale, but
in other parts of the scale
students are more variable in
their views. The long upper
whisker in the example means
that students views are varied
amongst the most positive
quartile group, and very similar
Some general observations for the least positive quartile
about box plots group. The Items in Detail reports
can be used to explore this
 The box plot is comparatively further.
short – see example (2). This  Same median, different
suggests that overall students distribution – See examples (1),
have a high level of agreement (2), and (3). The medians (which
with each other. generally will be close to the
 The box plot is comparatively average) are all at the same level.
tall – see examples (1) and (3). However, the box plots in these
This suggests students hold quite examples show very different
different opinions about this distributions of views.
aspect or sub-aspect.
 One box plot is much higher It always important to consider
or lower than another – the pattern of the whole
compare (3) and (4) – This could distribution of responses in a box
suggest a difference between plot.
groups. For example, the box plot
for boys may be lower or higher
than the equivalent plot for girls.
Follow this up by looking at Box Plot Explained:
the Items at a Glance reports.
 Obvious differences between
box plots – see examples (1) and Interpretation, Examples, &
(2), (1) and (3), or (2) and (4). Any
obvious difference between box
plots for comparative groups is Comparison
worthy of further investigation.
 Your school box plot is much
higher or lower than the national
In descriptive statistics, a box
reference group box plot. This
also suggests an area of plot or boxplot (also known as a
box and whisker plot) is a type of line that divides the box into two
chart often used in explanatory parts (sometimes known as the
data analysis. Box plots visually second quartile). Half the scores
show the distribution of are greater than or equal to this
numerical data and skewness by value, and half are less.
displaying the data quartiles (or
percentiles) and averages. Upper Quartile
Seventy-five percent of the scores
Box plots show the five-number fall below the upper quartile value
summary of a set of data: (also known as the third quartile).
including the minimum score, Thus, 25% of data are above this
first (lower) quartile, median, value.
third (upper) quartile, and
maximum score. Maximum Score
The highest score, excluding
outliers (shown at the end of the
right whisker).
Whiskers
The upper and lower whiskers
represent scores outside the
middle 50% (i.e., the lower 25% of
scores and the upper 25% of
scores).
The Interquartile
Minimum Score Range (or IQR)
The lowest score, excluding The box plot shows the middle
outliers (shown at the end of the 50% of scores (i.e., the range
left whisker). between the 25th and 75th
percentile).
Lower Quartile
Twenty-five percent of scores fall
below the lower quartile value
(also known as the first quartile). Why Are Box Plots
Median Useful?
The median marks the mid-point
of the data and is shown by the
Box plots divide the data into The box plot shape will show if a
sections containing approximately statistical data set is normally
25% of the data in that set. distributed or skewed.

Box plots are useful as they

provide a visual summary of the
data enabling researchers to When the median is in the middle
quickly identify mean values, the of the box, and the whiskers are
dispersion of the data set, and about the same on both sides of
signs of skewness. the box, then the distribution is
Note the image above represents symmetric.
data that is a perfect normal
distribution, and most box plots When the median is closer to the
will not conform to this symmetry bottom of the box, and if the
(where each quartile is the same whisker is shorter on the lower
length). end of the box, then the
distribution is positively skewed
(skewed right).
Box plots are useful as
they show the average When the median is closer to the
top of the box, and if the whisker
score of a data set is shorter on the upper end of the
box, then the distribution is
The median is the average value negatively skewed (skewed left).
from a set of data and is shown
by the line that divides the box
into two parts. Half the scores are Box plots are useful as
greater than or equal to this they show the
value, and half are less. dispersion of a data set
Box plots are useful as In statistics, dispersion (also
they show the called variability, scatter, or
spread) is the extent to which a
skewness of a data set
distribution is stretched or
squeezed.

The smallest and largest values

are found at the end of the
‘whiskers’ and are useful for
providing a visual indicator
regarding the spread of scores
(e.g., the range).
For example, outside 1.5 times
the interquartile range above the
upper quartile and below the
lower quartile (Q1 – 1.5 * IQR or
Q3 + 1.5 * IQR).

The interquartile range (IQR) is How To Compare Box

the box plot showing the middle
50% of scores and can be Plots
calculated by subtracting the
lower quartile from the upper Box plots are a useful way to
quartile (e.g., Q3−Q1). visualize differences among
different samples or groups. They
Box plots are useful as manage to provide a lot of
statistical information, including
they show outliers — medians, ranges, and outliers.
within a data set
Note although box plots have
An outlier is an observation that been presented horizontally in
is numerically distant from the this article, it is more common to
rest of the data. view them vertically in research
papers
When reviewing a box plot, an
outlier is defined as a data point Step 1: Compare the
that is located outside the
whiskers of the box plot. medians of box plots

Compare the respective medians

of each box plot. If the median
line of a box plot lies outside of
the box of a comparison box plot, at the end of two whiskers. This
then there is likely to be a shows the range of scores
difference between the two (another type of dispersion).
groups. Larger ranges indicate wider
distribution, that is, more
scattered data.

Step 3: Look for

potential outliers

When reviewing a box plot, an

outlier is defined as a data point
that is located outside the
Step 2: Compare the whiskers of the box plot.
interquartile ranges
and whiskers of box Step 4: Look for signs of
plots skewness
If the data do not appear to be
Compare the interquartile ranges symmetric, does each sample
(that is, the box lengths) to show the same kind of
examine how the data is asymmetry?
dispersed between each sample.
The longer the box, the more
dispersed the data. The smaller,
the less dispersed the data.

Next, look at the overall spread

as shown by the extreme values