The graphical display of data is among the most powerful tools available for communicating medical research findings, given the increasing complexity of study designs and the mind’s preference for information conveyed in pictorial format.1 2 However, although general information is available on what constitutes an effective data display1 2 3 4 5 6 and what constitutes good practice in reporting trials,7 8 there is relatively little guidance on using figures to aid the presentation of trial results.9

Because figures are so effective in creating an enduring impression of results, their construction—and interpretation by readers—must be handled with care. We recently conducted a survey to determine the types of figures used most commonly in reports of clinical trials and to uncover the good, and not so good, practices that typically attend their use.10 Here, we highlight the important features of the most commonly used types of figures. In doing so, we hope to illustrate the hallmarks of figures that are likely to convey an impression consistent with valid trial conclusions and those aspects of figures that may, without careful interpretation, be misleading.