Visualization in scientific research

This year, we have decided to expand the format of work with students through the organization of student projects on the topics of our Research Group. The first one was devoted tothe analysis of the role of data visualization in social sciences.

Recently, visualizations have been devoting more and more time and effort. Most of the research is supplemented with visual materials: these can be either classic ways of presenting statistical information (graphs, tables), or video/audio materials. It becomes an important tool for communicating data analysis results and science at all.

On Wednesday at the installation workshop, Anastasiya Kuznetsova told how visualization was born in science and what role is assigned to it now. She talked about the basic rules of visualization, in particular, about how various scientific journals and publishing houses promote the use of the principles of visualization in articles. In addition, the main ideas in Data storytelling and resources where you can choose the best graph for “your” data were discussed. Our Research Group participants are already actively using the visual presentation of information in their research, but we hope that this report will help them to make their visualization more effective.

Participant of the Research Group Vsevolod Suschevsky about the past seminar:

Anastasia told about the basics of visualization and how to tell a story using diagrams. I really liked the example of The Economist with the development of their visualizations -- how from come to an informative visualization from unclear drawings. I had never thought before that colors and symbols are perceived differently/ People from other countries and with different experience with data can look at my graphs and read from them absolutely not what I tried to convey because they are used to see information differently. I hope now I can correctly select the visual tools and use them in further research.

Vsevolod Suschevsky
Research Group participant, 3rd year student of BA Sociology and Social Informatics