Unit 9 - Validity and Generalisability in Research

This unit focused on visualising data through charts in Excel, with practical examples using bar charts, clustered column charts, and relative frequency histograms. These techniques are essential for exploring and communicating patterns in categorical and continuous data.

Using the breakfast cereal brand data, I created bar charts to compare preferences across two demographic areas. The visual comparison made it immediately clear that while "Other" brands were dominant in both areas, Area 2 showed relatively higher preference for both Brand A and Brand B. Constructing clustered column bar charts was especially helpful in visualising inter-group comparisons side by side.

I also created a histogram of weight loss for individuals on Diet A. The resulting chart was unimodal and symmetrical, suggesting a relatively consistent distribution of outcomes. I found that aligning bin widths, class marks, and relative frequencies helped clarify the spread of data. These visual cues are especially useful when comparing distributions across groups.

Much of this work built directly on the spreadsheet logic and formatting skills introduced in previous units, while also reviving techniques I first encountered in the Numerical Analysis module. The main challenge lay in translating frequency tables into well-labelled, informative visuals—skills that will be particularly useful in presenting model output comparisons and exploratory data insights in my MSc project.