Principles of Effective Data Visualization

Midway, Stephen R.

doi:10.1016/j.patter.2020.100141

Cited by 36 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The aim is to present data simply, clearly, and honestly without clutter, confusion, or deception so that readers can focus on the research story 6, 23 . Fortunately, software, training, and advice on how to prepare display items is readily available 5, 6, 7, 24, 25 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expansion of information in scientific research papers

Abdullaeva

Bromfield

Sheldon

2022

Preprint

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Presenting information in papers allows readers to see the evidence for the research claims. The amount of information presented to readers is increasing in high impact factor scientific journals. The aim of the present study was to determine whether there was a similar expansion in the amount of information presented to readers in subject-specific journals. We examined 878 research papers that were published in the journals Biology of Reproduction and Reproduction during the first six months of 1989, 1999, 2009, and 2019. Although there were few differences between the journals, we found that between 1989 and 2019 the number of figures increased 1.5-fold, the number of figure panels increased 3.6-fold, and the number of display items increased 5.6-fold. Amongst the display items, the number of images per paper increased 10-fold, and the number of graphs per paper increased 3.7-fold. The median paper in 1989 was 8 pages long, contained 6 tables and/or figures, with 1 image and 4 graphs. In 2019 the median paper was 12 pages long, contained 7 tables and/or figures, with 13 images and 15 graphs. This expansion of information in subject-specific journals implies that authors, reviewers, and editors need to help readers digest complex biological messages without causing information overload.Lay summaryWe are living in an age of science and information. The amount of information presented in research papers has increased over time in the top science journals. Our research examined whether there has been a similar expansion in information in two influential subject-specific journals. We counted how much information was presented in 878 research papers across a 30-year period in the journals Biology of Reproduction and Reproduction. There were few differences between the two journals. But there was a striking increase in the information presented to readers in 2019 compared with 1989. The typical paper in 1989 was 8 pages long and contained 1 picture and 4 graphs. In 2019 the typical paper was 12 pages long and contained 13 pictures and 15 graphs. This expansion of information means that subject-specific journals must balance the presentation of complex biological messages with the risk of causing information overload.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expansion of information in scientific research papers

Abdullaeva

Bromfield

Sheldon

2022

Preprint

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“…Visualisations can be manipulated by the geometry or type of figure used and the aesthetics of the elements in the figure [ 29 ]. Perceived aesthetics have been shown to be correlated with user engagement, where users were more likely to spend longer time studying a figure when the design of the visualisation was more pleasing to the eye [ 30 ].…”

Section: Design Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capture, analyse, visualise: An exemplar of performance analysis in practice in field hockey

et al. 2022

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The goal of performance analysis is to capture the multitude of factors that affect sports strategy, and present them in an informative, interpretable, and accessible format. The aim of this study was to outline a performance analysis process in field hockey that captures, analyses and visualises strategy in layers of detail culminating in the creation of an RStudio Shiny application. Computerised notational analysis systems were developed to capture in-game events and ball tracking data of 74 matches from the Women’s Pro League 2019. Game styles were developed using k-means cluster analysis to reduce detailed in-game events into practical profiles to identify the attack types, game actions and tempo of a team’s strategy. Ball movement profiles were developed to identify the predictability (entropy) and direction (progression rates) of ball movements, and consequent distribution of possession in different attacking zones. The Shiny application, an interactive web-platform, links the information from simple game profiles with detailed game variables to understand each teams’ holistic game plan, how they are different, and how to exploit these differences. The process outlined can be applied to any team invasion sport to understand, develop and communicate successful strategies under different match situations.

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“…Clear, effective data visualizations often rely on clarity and simplicity (Midway, 2020) , yet scientific data has become increasingly complex over the last few decades (Cordero et al, 2016;Kamath, 2001) . One key feature of effective dynamic data visualizations is their ability to pack rich information into relatively simple displays, via two components that can be found in most recent, eye-catching content: interactivity and animation (Fig.…”

Section: The Case For Dynamic Visualizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic Data Visualizations to Enhance Insight and Communication Across the Lifecycle of a Scientific Project

Wiebels¹,

Moreau²

2021

Preprint

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In scientific communication, figures are typically rendered as static displays. This often prevents active exploration of the underlying data, for example to gauge the influence of particular data points or of particular analytic choices. Yet modern data visualization tools, from animated plots to interactive notebooks and reactive web applications, allow psychologists to share and present their findings in dynamic and transparent ways. In this tutorial, we present a number of recent developments to build interactivity and animations into scientific communication and publications, using examples and illustrations in the R language. In particular, we discuss when and how to build dynamic figures, with step-by-step reproducible code that can easily be extended to the reader’s own projects. We illustrate how interactivity and animations can facilitate insight and communication across a project lifecycle—from initial exchanges and discussions within a team to peer-review and final publication—and provide a number of recommendations to use dynamic visualizations effectively. We close with a reflection on how the scientific publishing model is currently evolving, and consider the challenges and opportunities this shift might bring along for data visualization.

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Principles of Effective Data Visualization

Cited by 36 publications

References 21 publications

Expansion of information in scientific research papers

Expansion of information in scientific research papers

Capture, analyse, visualise: An exemplar of performance analysis in practice in field hockey

Dynamic Data Visualizations to Enhance Insight and Communication Across the Lifecycle of a Scientific Project

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