Step 1: Epidemiological data plotted over time needs a graph whose horizontal axis is continuous time and whose plotted points can be connected to reveal direction of change.
Step 2: Among the options, only the line diagram joins successive data points, making it ideal to track whether incidence is rising, falling, or stable across the timeline.
Step 3: A bar diagram and a histogram use bars suited for category comparison or frequency distribution rather than a smooth trend, while a scatter diagram is meant to show association between two measured variables, not a temporal trend.
Step 4: Therefore the correct representation of incidence over time is the line diagram.\[\boxed{\text{Line diagram}}\]