{"id":78138,"date":"2025-11-28T07:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T10:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindthegraph.com\/blog\/?p=78138"},"modified":"2025-12-02T08:09:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T11:09:02","slug":"how-to-create-pie-charts-for-research-papers-with-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindthegraph.com\/blog\/pt\/how-to-create-pie-charts-for-research-papers-with-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Pie Charts for Research Papers (with Examples)<\/strong>\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Data visualization is the graphical representation of data and is used for understanding and communication, including common graphics such as pie charts and plots. Data visualization helps convey complex data relationships in an easy-to-understand manner, making it a critical part of research. For example, if numerical data in a table requires considerable effort to conceptualize a trend, plotting the data visually makes the trend immediately clear to the reader.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way information is visually presented can influence human perception. Consider the pie chart, a visual representation designed to display how individual components contribute to a whole. It offers a simple way to organize data, allowing users to easily compare the size of each component with the others. Therefore, if a researcher needs to visualize proportions or relative contributions within a single category, a pie chart serves as a straightforward visualization tool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s explore how to make pie charts, common pie chart uses, pie chart examples, and more! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Pie Chart?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A simple pie chart definition is \u201ca circular statistical graphic that is divided into radial slices to illustrate numerical proportion.\u201d In this chart type, each categorical value corresponds to a single slice, and the size of that slice\u2014measured by its area, arc length, and central angle\u2014is designed to be proportional to the quantity it represents. Thus the main strength of the pie chart lies in how it helps convey data at a glance by instantly communicating the part-to-whole relationship.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uses of a Pie Chart in Research\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Did you know that the pioneer of data visualization, Florence Nightingale, used an adaptation of the pie chart, the polar area diagram or rose diagram<\/a> as early as in 1858? She used this diagram to illustrate seasonal sources of patient mortality in military hospitals during the Crimean War, demonstrating that deaths due to disease (represented by a large segment) far outweighed deaths caused by wounds or other factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pie chart uses are limited to visualizing proportions where the primary objective is to show each group\u2019s contribution relative to the total. Pie charts are especially useful when highlighting a particular slice whose proportion is close to a common fraction like 25% or 50%. They are highly effective in scenarios where simplicity and quick comprehension are paramount and where the chart needs to be compact. Note that pie charts are inappropriate for non-proportional data (data exceeding 100%) or when the goal is to compare groups to each other, rather than to the whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In modern social science, pie charts or effective alternatives are employed for data where the components must sum to 100%. Relevant pie chart examples include distribution of aggregate income, population demographics, and election results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To handle complex data, researchers may turn to pie chart subtypes. For instance, treemaps can break down cumulative global CO2<\/sub> emissions by country, and sunburst diagrams may be used for visualizing hierarchical data, such as an employee directory of a company divided by country and department, where the size of the segment represents the number of employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Calculate a <\/strong>Pie Chart Formula<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create a pie chart, you need to first know the pie chart formula. The steps to calculate it are as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Add up the individual numbers to calculate the total number.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Divide 360 (the total number of degrees in the pie chart) by the total number. The resulting value will tell you the angle, in degrees, that each category equates to in terms of a pie chart.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Multiply each frequency by this angle value to get the angle for each segment of the pie chart. Remember, the segment angles should add up to 360\u00b0. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put simply, to calculate the angle of each slice of a pie chart, the pie chart formula is as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Segment angle = (360\/total frequency) x category frequency<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Create a Pie Chart?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you have understood how to calculate the pie chart formula, the next question is how to draw a pie chart? Suppose an ecologist has been tasked with understanding species distribution of various animal phyla in a forest understory. Here are the steps she will follow: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etapa 1:<\/em><\/strong> Collect the data <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etapa 2:<\/em><\/strong> Tabulate the data: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animal phyla<\/strong> <\/td>Number of species<\/strong> <\/td><\/tr>
Arthropoda  <\/td>50 <\/td><\/tr>
Mollusca <\/td>  7 <\/td><\/tr>
Annelida <\/td>10 <\/td><\/tr>
Nematoda <\/td>  5 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The data above can be represented by a pie chart as following and by using the circle graph formula, i.e. the pie chart formula explained above.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etapa 3:<\/em><\/strong> Add up the individual numbers to calculate the total number. In this case: 50 + 7 + 10 + 5 = 72. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passo 4:<\/em><\/strong> Divide 360 (the total number of degrees in the pie chart) by the total number. In this case: 360 \u00f7 72 = 5, so each species is equal to 5\u00b0 in the pie chart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etapa 5:<\/em><\/strong> Multiply each frequency by this angle value to get the angle for each segment of the pie chart: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animal phyla<\/strong> <\/td>Number of species<\/strong> <\/td>Angle<\/strong> <\/td><\/tr>
Arthropoda  <\/td>50 <\/td>50 \u00d7 5\u00b0 = 250\u00b0 <\/td><\/tr>
Mollusca <\/td>7 <\/td>7 \u00d7 5\u00b0 = 35\u00b0 <\/td><\/tr>
Annelida <\/td>10 <\/td>10 \u00d7 5\u00b0 = 50\u00b0 <\/td><\/tr>
Nematoda <\/td>5 <\/td>5 \u00d7 5\u00b0 = 25\u00b0 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Etapa 6:<\/em><\/strong> Draw a circle and use a protractor to measure the degree of each sector (see Figure 1). You can also use online pie chart makers as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"pie
Figure 1: Pie chart example\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Etapa 7:<\/em><\/strong> Label the sections and provide annotations and a legend.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pie Chart Examples<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the basic standard pie chart, there are several variants based on the circular concept, which are often used as alternatives for specific visualization needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Donut chart<\/em><\/strong>: This is a variant of the pie chart with a hole in the center. Its primary purpose is to visualize data as a percentage of the whole (Figure 2).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pie
Figure 2: Sample donut chart\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. 3D Pie chart:<\/em><\/strong> This variant gives an aesthetic, three-dimensional look (see Figure 3). However, the use of perspective distorts the proportional encoding of the data, making these plots difficult to interpret accurately.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"pie
Figure 3: Sample 3D pie chart\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

3. Exploded <\/em><\/strong>pie chart<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong> This chart features one or more sectors \u201cpulled out\u201d from the rest of the disk to highlight a specific sector for emphasis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Square chart (waffle chart):<\/em><\/strong> This chart uses color-coded squares, typically arranged in a 10 \u00d7 10 grid, where each cell represents 1%, instead of a circle, to represent proportions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Polar area diagram (Nightingale diagram\/rose diagram)<\/em><\/strong>: This chart is similar to a pie chart, but the sectors all have equal angles and differ in how far they extend from the center (radius).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Treemaps:<\/em><\/strong> This is a \u201csquare\u201d version of the pie chart that uses a rectangular area divided into sections; the area of the sections is proportional to the corresponding value. Treemaps can handle hierarchies, and visualize many more categories than a traditional pie chart.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dos and Don\u2019ts When Creating a Pie Chart\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When designing pie charts, careful consideration must be given to their specific limitations to ensure accurate and effective communication of data.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dos when creating a pie chart<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n