Templates / Box Plot
Box Plot Template
Publication-quality box plots for showing data distribution, median, quartiles, and outliers. Preferred by Nature Methods and eLife for continuous data visualization.
Use this template →Template specifications
Chart type
Box plot (standard, notched, violin overlay)
X-axis
Categorical groups or conditions
Y-axis
Continuous measurement
Median
Horizontal line in box
Quartiles
Box edges (Q1, Q3)
Whiskers
1.5 × IQR or custom range
Outliers
Individual points beyond whiskers
Groups
Up to 12 comparison groups
Export
TIFF 300–1200 DPI / PDF / SVG
Input data format
Your CSV needs two columns:
# box_plot_data.csv
group, value
Control, 12.5
Control, 13.2
Control, 11.8
Treatment, 18.7
Treatment, 19.1
Treatment, 17.9
- group — category or condition label
- value — numeric measurement (one row per observation)
FAQ
Why do journals prefer box plots over bar charts?
Box plots show the full data distribution (median, quartiles, outliers) rather than hiding it behind a single summary statistic. This transparency is preferred by Nature Methods, eLife, and other journals for continuous data.
What do the whiskers represent?
By default, whiskers extend to 1.5 × the interquartile range (IQR) from the box edges. Points beyond the whiskers are plotted as individual outliers. You can customize this to show the full data range or a specific percentile.
Can I overlay individual data points?
Yes. FigureGuild supports overlaying individual data points (strip plot or swarm plot) on top of box plots. This is highly recommended for small to medium sample sizes and is preferred by many journals.