Cumming Geoff, Fidler Fiona, Vaux David L
School of Psychological Science and 2Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3086.
J Cell Biol. 2007 Apr 9;177(1):7-11. doi: 10.1083/jcb.200611141.
Error bars commonly appear in figures in publications, but experimental biologists are often unsure how they should be used and interpreted. In this article we illustrate some basic features of error bars and explain how they can help communicate data and assist correct interpretation. Error bars may show confidence intervals, standard errors, standard deviations, or other quantities. Different types of error bars give quite different information, and so figure legends must make clear what error bars represent. We suggest eight simple rules to assist with effective use and interpretation of error bars.
误差线在出版物的图表中很常见，但实验生物学家常常不确定应如何使用和解读它们。在本文中，我们阐述了误差线的一些基本特征，并解释了它们如何有助于传达数据以及辅助正确解读。误差线可能表示置信区间、标准误差、标准差或其他量。不同类型的误差线给出的信息截然不同，因此图表说明必须明确误差线代表什么。我们提出八条简单规则，以帮助有效使用和解读误差线。
