Crime taxonomy · Words and context

Missing context

No axes, no units, no source, nothing to compare against.

What it looks like

The chart leaves out what a reader needs to judge it: axis labels, units, a source, a time frame, a comparison point, or a normalisation such as per capita.

Example

The same data shown honestly: Labelled months, a normalised measure with units, a specific title and a source. — **The fix.** Labelled months, a normalised measure with units, a specific title and a source.

Why it is bad

Without units or a scale, a line going up could mean anything.
Without a source, nobody can check it.
Missing context is often harmless sloppiness, but it is also where manipulation hides.

How to fix it

Label both axes with units, and say what the data is and when it was measured.
Cite the source on the chart itself, since charts get screenshotted and lose their article.
Normalise when sizes differ: per person, per sale, share of total.

When it is not a crime. Sparklines and tiny inline charts can drop axes when the surrounding text gives the numbers.