Violin Plots: A Box Plot-Density Trace Synergism

Abstract

Many modifications build on Tukey's original box plot. A proposed further adaptation, the violin plot, pools the best statistical features of alternative graphical representations of batches of data. It adds the information available from local density estimates to the basic summary statistics inherent in box plots. This marriage of summary statistics and density shape into a single plot provides a useful tool for data analysis and exploration.