VISUAL SCIENCE COMMUNICATION: A CASE STUDY ON PUBLISHED GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTS

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2019

Authors

Costa, A (Author) Other; Giesteira, Bruno (Author) FBAUP; Costa, E (Author) Other

Conference proceedings International

Title: DIGICOM 2019 - 3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DESIGN AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

Pages: 503-510

3rd International Conference on Design and Digital Communication (DIGICOM)

Barcelos, PORTUGAL, NOV 15-16, 2019-2109

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00T-7FR

Abstract (EN): Scientists spend huge efforts ensuring the highest standards of their research but fail in efforts to spread their achievements. They face time and effort constraints as they have to accomplish a myriad of tasks in their daily routines. If researchers on different disciplines have trouble communicating with each other around a specific topic of mutual interest, then cross-field collaborations will be problematic. Graphical Abstracts (GAs) are a specific type of infographics that summarize in one image what a research paper is about. Such visual communication tools convey facts, ideas and relationships more clearly and faster than written language. The usage and quality of GAs being produced for research papers, as well as the perception of their impact as a communication tool, is a growing topic of debate. We used i3S - one of the biggest biomedical research institutes in Europe - as a case study to build knowledge on that. A total of 994 scientific articles were analyzed, and 19% of the publications contain GAs while 26% neglected their use. With regard to graphic design principles, misuse of color is often encountered, as well as basic errors in space arrangement of the constituent elements of the graphic composition. Interestingly, it was observed that articles that use GAs have highest impact in terms of citations and readers but not in terms of tweets. In conclusion, the use of GAs falls short of their maximum potential as an inclusive and effective tool for communication between scientists.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 8