How to create a line graph in Excel

This video shows you how to create a properly formatted line graph in Microsoft Excel and explains when a line graph is the correct choice instead of a scatter plot. You’ll learn how to decide between graph types when displaying trends over time, with a focus on ordinal time points such as weeks, months, or growth stages. Using biological data examples, the video demonstrates how to organize your data so Excel correctly recognizes the x‑axis, how to create a line graph with markers, and how to avoid common formatting mistakes. The tutorial also covers key scientific formatting steps, including adding clear axis labels, removing gridlines and chart titles, adding axis lines and tick marks, and adjusting font size for readability. Examples include both single data series and multiple data series plotted over time. By the end, your graph will be ready to paste into a Word document and paired with a proper figure caption.