Automating Phase Change Lines and Their Labels Using Microsoft Excel(R)
Download the updated Excel template so phase lines and labels lock themselves in place.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Deochand (2017) built a free Excel template.
It drops locked phase-change lines and labels onto your graph in one click.
You still use Excel, so no new software to buy.
What they found
The tool works.
Lines stay put when you resize or add data.
Labels line up every time.
How this fits with other research
Fuller et al. (2019) later made a cleaner version that packs everything into one workbook.
Their 2019 paper now supersedes the 2017 file—fewer steps, same free price.
Dubuque (2015) first showed how to anchor lines with offsets; Deochand added auto-labels to that idea.
Lehardy et al. (2021) and Mondati et al. (2025) took Excel graphing further by teaching it—students hit 94-100 % accuracy after short video packages.
Why it matters
If you graph single-case data in Excel, grab the newest template from Fuller et al. (2019) instead of starting from scratch.
You will cut prep time and your graphs will still meet journal standards.
Pass the link to new staff—no drawing skills required.
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Join Free →Swap your old manual line method for the free Fuller et al. (2019) workbook and test it on your next client graph.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Many researchers have rallied against drawn in graphical elements and offered ways to avoid them, especially regarding the insertion of phase change lines (Deochand, Costello, & Fuqua, 2015; Dubuque, 2015; Vanselow & Bourret, 2012). However, few have offered a solution to automating the phase labels, which are often utilized in behavior analytic graphical displays (Deochand et al., 2015). Despite the fact that Microsoft Excel® is extensively utilized by behavior analysts, solutions to resolve issues in our graphing practices are not always apparent or user-friendly. Considering the insertion of phase change lines and their labels constitute a repetitious and laborious endeavor, any minimization in the steps to accomplish these graphical elements could offer substantial time-savings to the field. The purpose of this report is to provide an updated way (and templates in the supplemental materials) to add phase change lines with their respective labels, which stay embedded to the graph when they are moved or updated. The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40617-016-0169-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2017 · doi:10.1007/s40617-016-0169-1