This document explains how to produce scatterplots using the SPSS Chart Builder

After opening the Chart Builder () select Scatter/Dot from the Gallery. Various forms of scatterplots can be produced by dropping one of the icons onto the Preview Area ("Canvas").

The various forms are labelled on the screenshot. Grouped scatterplots designate a scatterplot where groupes are differentiated (e.g. continents) using distinctive markers.

When selecting a simple scatterplot, you only need to provide an X and a Y variable.

If you select Groups/Point Id tab you should check Point ID Label and drop an case identification variable into the appropriate spot (e.g. country names) to be able to identify individual observations (see below for details).

On the same panel you can choose to

• Add a Grouping/Stacking variable, i.e. a variable that will be used to differentiate the markers on the scatterplot. For instance you might use a continent variable to differentiate countries according to their geographic location. (This is by the way the same as selecting Grouped Scatterplots from the Gallery.
• Select Panel variables; panel variables will produce a separate scatterplot for each category of a panel variable (you can have column and row panel variables)
• Change Element properties, namely change the the scale for a variable using logarithmic or other power transformations.

After having produced the graph, you can interact with it and add elements or change various aspects of the graph by invoking the (invoked by double-clicking the chart in the ). A number of scatterplot specific aspects are documented here: