Publication Graphs

The publication graph builder creates single-case design graphs formatted for reports, presentations, and journal submissions. Graphs follow standard visual analysis conventions and can be exported as image files for insertion into any document.

Accessing the graph builder

Open the graph builder from the Student Hub by selecting a student and choosing “Publication graph” from the action menu.

Reversal design (ABAB)

The reversal design plots behavior data across alternating baseline (A) and intervention (B) phases. Each phase is separated by a vertical phase change line, labeled with the condition name you assigned during recording (e.g., “Baseline”, “Intervention”, “Return to Baseline”). Data points within each phase are connected by a line. The line is broken — not connected — across phase change boundaries, which is the standard convention for reversal designs.

Use the reversal design when you have data from a single behavior or target and have cycled through at least two phases.

Multiple baseline design

The multiple baseline design displays staggered intervention onset across multiple tiers — behaviors, settings, or students. Each tier appears as a separate panel stacked vertically. Intervention begins at a different point for each tier, creating the characteristic staggered pattern that allows functional inference without withdrawal.

Tiers are labeled with behavior names or setting names pulled from your session data. You arrange the order of tiers in the graph builder.

Data source

The graph builder pulls from your recorded sessions. Phase assignment uses the condition labels you set at the start of each recording (set from the Setup screen before recording begins, or from phase change markers inserted mid-session). Sessions labeled “Baseline” feed into A phases; sessions with your intervention label feed into B phases.

You can include or exclude individual sessions from the graph using the session selector in the builder. This is useful if you want to exclude a session with unusual circumstances or a data collection error.

Customization

Before exporting, you can adjust:

• Figure caption — short text displayed below the figure, useful for report captions and figure numbering
• Behaviors to include — select which behaviors appear in the graph when you have recorded multiple behaviors per session
• Session selection — include or exclude individual sessions from the graph
• Annotations — click the ”+ Label” button in the preview toolbar to enter annotation mode. Click a data point to snap a label to it, or click anywhere on the graph to place freely. Annotations can be dragged to reposition.

Export

Export the finished graph as PNG, SVG, or PDF. PNG and SVG are suitable for insertion into Word documents, Google Docs, or PowerPoint. SVG scales without loss of quality for print and publication use. PDF export embeds vector-quality SVG for lossless print reproduction.

Visual analysis conventions

Graphs follow standard single-case design conventions used in applied behavior analysis and special education research:

• Raw data points are plotted without smoothing or averaging
• Phase change lines are solid vertical lines at the boundary between conditions
• Data paths do not cross phase change lines (the line is broken at each boundary)
• Each behavior or tier is shown in its own panel with its own y-axis

These conventions match what reviewers and editors expect in journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Modification, and what is expected in most special education eligibility and evaluation reports.