{"id":4056,"date":"2022-12-19T12:44:24","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T12:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/ask-me-anything-with-an-expert-how-to-communicate-research-visually\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T08:06:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T02:36:29","slug":"ask-me-anything-how-to-communicate-research-visually-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/ask-me-anything-how-to-communicate-research-visually-0","title":{"rendered":"Ask Me Anything with an expert: How to communicate research visually"},"content":{"rendered":"

We had invited researchers around the world to ask questions related to research communication and challenges that they face while presenting data visually. As usual, we received overwhelming response from the academic community.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fabricio Pamplona, neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of\u00a0Mind the Graph<\/a>, has answered as many questions as he could. We\u00a0hope you find this Ask Me Anything session, organized exclusively for the Editage Insights community, super helpful.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Default<\/a><\/p>\n

Q. Which software is good for graphing? Origin or MATLab or suggest any other software.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We typically don’t recommend these kind of software for most cases, but rather more visual software like GraphPad Prisma that also include statistics, for charts Infogram, Venngage or even Tableau or Spotfire for more hardcore data visualization. These days, there are also software that combine illustrations with charts (infographics) like Mind the Graph. That’s our suggestion tailor-made for the scientific world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q. What\u2019s the difference between data visualization and infographics?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/b> Data visualization is more data itself and allows free exploration and interpretation of the results through graphs and tables, while infographics tend to add a \u201cnarrative”, a particular perspective or interpretation, giving emphasis to some aspect of data. Also, infographics typically combine data + illustrations or other elements to provide more visual impact.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q. I\u2019m just starting to explore ways to present my data in a visual format. What are the things I should keep in mind as a beginner?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/b> Most important thing is to understand that the data will request different types of charts depending on what the author wants to highlight. Picking up the right chart, and therefore, the right way to show data is halfway towards success. Example: If you want to compare things, use bars; if you want to show the evolution of something over time it is better to use line charts. Pie charts are the loved ones, but very often used wrongly. The most important thing is to understand what you want to communicate with the data and always aim for simplicity.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q. How can basic looking tables, figures, or infographics be improved to look more impressive?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/b> For simple tables, one may try to create hierarchy in the information, highlighting what is more relevant with bigger fonts or different font faces, like bold or italic. It’s always important to have some rationale behind to ease the reading (i.e. more important data first, or some sort of rational order). For figures and infographics, it is important to keep the organization as simple as possible, so that the information is depicted in a clear way. Think of every element added to the figure as \u201cinformation”. So, colors, for instance, are also information and should be used mindfully.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q. What are some principles we should follow to make charts, infographics, graphical abstracts, etc. accessible to readers with visual or cognitive disabilities?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/b> A good contrast between colors is the very first step, but one may also find particular color palettes for the visually handicap (daltonism, among others). Typically, choose fonts that are easy to read and not too small. Always aim for simplicity and clarity, and emphasizing contrast with enough space between letters, lines and all the visual elements.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q. What are some common instructions journals give authors for creating graphical abstracts or infographics?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/b> There are multiple forms of answering this and every journal has its own format, but here are a few tips\/guidelines from Cell press that we endorse.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

OVERVIEW<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/u><\/p>\n

What’s a graphical abstract? The graphical abstract is one single\u2010panel image that is designed to give readers an immediate understanding of the take\u2010home message of the paper. Its intent is to encourage browsing, promote interdisciplinary scholarship, and help readers quickly identify which papers are most relevant to their research interests.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/u><\/p>\n